Oderint dum Metuant
by Mr.J316
Summary: The Earth is gone. The heroes, who guarded civilization for generations, and the villains, who plundered the Earth, could no longer prevent the planets impending decimation. Now, the descendants of the Earth's greatest villains awaken on the Earth again, now reformed as Remnant. To fulfill their solemn duty, they will journey out into this new world to claim what is theirs.
1. Chapter 1

**Chapter 1:**

Remnant, a world in a time of peace, but continually ravaged by the forces of darkness. The Creatures of Grimm terrorized human and Faunus alike, but through the combined efforts of the Four Kingdoms and brave and valiant hunters and huntresses, this peace was maintained. This did not mean, however, that life was always fair. On the continent of Solitas, most citizens of the Kingdom of Atlas enjoyed lives of luxury and security, having access to a vast amount of world's most precious resource, Dust. Those miners, who are often taken for granted, slave away in the subterranean caverns gathering this precious lifeblood of Remnant. However, this day would be a day unlike any other, as a new discovery will soon rock the people of Remnant to their very core.

—

"Chief Marcus, Chief Marcus!" exclaimed a miner as he ran toward his supervisor.

"What is it" groaned Marcus, thinking it was too early for a problem to occur? He hadn't even had a chance to drink his morning cup of coffee yet, and already something appears to have gone wrong. "Are those faunus protesting again?"

"No, sir everything is mostly fine on that front, but you might want to watch out for that." The miner said, to which Marcus just glared at him for giving him something else to worry about.

"Sorry, but Gary and his team said they found something abnormal down on Level 5." He quickly said, feeling Marcus was losing what little patience he had this morning.

Marcus sighed, "Just give me a few minutes," he tiredly said as he began to guzzle down the coffee like a man dying of thirst. After he finished he haphazardly threw his cup towards the trash bin where it bounced off the side and onto the dirty platform.

Both made their way into the mine and over to the elevator and pushed the button for Level 5, one of the deepest parts of the entire mine. Once they reached their level, Marcus and the miner quickly walked toward Gary's team, who were in the north-western corner. As they approached the area, they saw a small crowd had formed around where the drill had punctured the wall, in a stunned silence.

"All right boys, I am excited about a hunk of shiny rock as much as the next guy, but remember you're here to work not gawk, so get back to it," Marcus said, sarcasm and contempt dripping from his voice. The crowd dispersed slowly as Marcus walked up to Gary. "So, what did you have me dragged all the way down here for anywa…" he began to ask, but lost all ability to communicate when he laid eyes upon what Gary's crew had uncovered. "… Holy-"

—

"They found a what in the mine?!" Jacques Schnee exclaimed. Receiving a call in the early hours of the morning was already infuriating, but also being told that an entire mine had been basically shut down because of some discovery made Jacques Schnee absolutely livid. On the other end of the phone, General Ironwood let his eardrums recover for a second before putting the device next to his ear again.

"A wall, made of some type of metal," explained Ironwood, "our most powerful drills couldn't even pierce it. From what we can tell from the initial sonar scans, the wall is a part of some type of massive domed structure."

"Well, what on Remnant is it doing in the middle of MY MINE!" Ironwood reeled back for a second time that day. Yet again his close friend was having a hard time seeing the bigger picture, not realizing what kind of impact this discovery could have on Remnant and its history. So he decided to put into words he would be able to comprehend. "I don't know, but whatever may be inside that structure, there is definitely some advanced form of technology that we have never witnessed before. Imagine the possibilities."

Since his eardrums were not being assaulted again by Jacques screeching voice, Ironwood took this as a good sign. "Yes... Imagine." Ironwood could almost feel Jacques facial muscles move to form that cunning businessman grin he knew so well, knowing Jacques would not take a chance to capitalize on a discovery this huge. "We should start the excavation as soon as possible, don't want to keep all of this from the world for long now, would we," he slyly suggested.

To this Ironwood gave a silent eye roll. Despite how sophisticated Jacques displayed himself, he could be swayed by the simplest of persuasions. However, he could not fault him for being a man with straightforward goals, as he himself pursued a similar path. "It's already done, excavation crews are beginning to uncover it as we speak," said Ironwood, glad this had gone more smoothly than he had expected.

"Excellent, I will be dropping by the mines later this week to see how much progress has been done. Can I expect you to be there?" Questioned Jacques.

"Unfortunately no, I am currently helping Ozpin set up for the Vytal tournament, but I am sending Captain Phoebus to the site to meet up with you and check on the progress." While Ironwood would like to see what lies inside the mysterious building, he is needed in Vale, making sure everyone is protected and safe from the approaching storm.

After a second, Jacques said, "Very well, good luck with your endeavors James, and if you see my daughter tell her to pick up the phone. Good day." and promptly hung up before Ironwood could get a sentence out. Perturbed, but still satisfied with the outcome of the call, Ironwood strode out of his temporary Beacon quarters and made his way towards Ozpin's office, he would have to fill him in on these new developments.

—

Two weeks later, Jacques Schnee stood on a platform overlooking the mine from one of the higher offices of the facility. The excavation was going at a steady pace and had already uncovered more of the structure, as he was seeing through a camera placed down on Level 5. Jacques could hardly wait to see what type of technology was inside this massive treasure chest, having a feeling this find would change the course of Remnant as the world knew it, and the Schnee Dust Company would be responsible. Security had been upped since he had arrived, in fear that his presence would lead to a potential White Fang attack. However, with Captain Phoebus, his soldiers, and a squad of Atlesian Knights on standby made this presumption seem incredibly unlikely.

Soon, however, his scroll began to shake, Jacques postponed reveling in his triumph for a bit and answered his call. "Any problems down there Phoebus?" questioned Jacques.

"No sir, none at all, everything is going quite smoothly," said Phoebus in a bright tone, "but I thought you might want to join us down here to check on the progress yourself."

"I tend to get a little claustrophobic in those mines, so I will watch the progress from the safety of my office thank you, very much," said Jacques as a matter of fact.

"Well, alright sir I will keep you updated on any new development-" Phoebus began to say before his attention was caught by one of his soldiers. "-Which just so happens to be right now."

"What is it? What did they find?!" questioned Jacques eagerly.

"It appears they have uncovered what appears to be some kind of entrance, I will keep you posted," Phoebus said as he hung up the phone and rushed over to the where the door had appeared. As they made there way over to the site, Phoebus looked at the dark grey wall they had already uncovered. While he was amazed at the size of the structure, he could not help but have an ominous feeling churning inside him, as he did not know what the contents of the building would mean for Remnant. As they arrived, Phoebus approached the portion of the wall they where the door was, just a small portal-shaped frame in the middle of the wall. To the side of the door, there appeared to be some kind of scanner, similar in design to Atlas' own security measures.

"Nice job, gentlemen," praised Phoebus "now we might be able to get inside sooner than we predicted." Feelings of fear were soon erased from Phoebus' mind, as an overwhelming feeling of accomplishment and curiosity took over. "Now let's try to find a way to open this crate up."

With that, the miners all went back to work, dutifully working to uncover the rest of the structure, while some stayed behind to help General Phoebus open the door. "It appears to run on electricity and the scanner indicates some type of computer is involved. I should have one of our computer specialists look at it and see if they can hack the door," said Phoebus as he examined the door. One of the miner's curiosity had gotten the better of him as he approached the panel and made a move to put his hand on the scanner pad. Phoebus saw this at the last second, "Wait!" he yelled at the miner, but it was too late. The man's hand was placed down on the scanner which begun to whir to life and a light appeared above the panel and began to scan the man from head to toe. No one dared move a muscle, in fear of what the machine might do if they did. Soon the scanning stopped and the miner stayed completely still, until a robotic voice said "Unknown entity trying to gain access to The Hall. Eliminate intruder." Then a red bolt of energy shocked the miner, who screamed in unimaginable pain, as he was vaporized on the spot. Standing petrified by the events that occurred before him, Phoebus slowly reached for his phone to make a call. It rang two times before Mr. Schnee picked up his scroll. "Mr. Schnee, we have a problem."

—

On the inside of The Hall, an interminable gloomy darkness spread over the facility. Levels of dark rooms filled the facility, waiting to become of use to its occupants. Lining the walls were numerous pods, which gave off an eerie light, preserving those inside of them. These children were the last line of a great legacy from before Remnants existence, a time where super-powered beings either protected the world from danger or sought to take what they believed was rightfully theirs. Some were almost godlike in strength, while others used their keen intellect and inventions to match up against more powerful foes. The Hall served as a bunker to protect this generation from the last cataclysm that befell their world before it was reformed into Remnant. They are the children of plunderers, thieves, and world conquerors. They are Super Villains, and it was time for the beginning of a new generation to take the stage and lead their Society into a new age.


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter 2:**

In the middle of the hall was a large spacious meeting room, and in the center stood rows of stands similar to a courtroom. The room was adorned with displays, paintings, and plaques, depicting past victories, members, and weapons used in times of battle against the heroes of yesterday. In the center of the meeting area stood a pedestal, which held within it various computer systems that had been dormant for innumerable centuries. Now it had sparked to life, coming alive and taking notice of its surroundings. After checking on all of the life support systems and other functions, it decided it was time to address the fact that the Hall had been discovered by an unknown faction. The heroes had not found them, and it could tell by a quick scan that the Watchtower had not been discovered, so that ruled out them for the moment. At that moment, The Hall's artificial intelligence was alerted that the door was being melted down by some unforeseen force. Checking the feed from the outer surveillance system, it could see that the military officer from before was now melting the outer door to the Hall. Seeing no other option, the AI decided sending in a combatant to deal with these intruders was the best solution. But who to choose, that is the question.

—

On The Hall's fourth floor, in a pod on the third row in the southeastern corner began to flash with power, as the occupant inside was being brought out of suspended animation. As mechanical limbs came out of the wall, they lowered the pod to the floor as the pod opened, and the man inside began to stir. Slowly he began to open his eyes, registering the unfamiliar surroundings.

"What happened, what's going on?" the man said in an annoyingly confused tone. He began to sit up and noticed what appeared to be a black jumpsuit covering him from his neck to his feet. "I was going through my training regiment when everything went white."

"I am sorry for the intrusion, young one, but there is an issue that I have found best suits your abilities." The man looked up and saw a lone spherical drone flying just over, with a glowing red eye in the center.

"Computo, what are you talking about, and why did you bring me out of my pod?" the man questioned further.

"I see your hearing is still coming back, so I will repeat myself" the man obviously did not appreciate Computo's sass and growled at the drone, "The Hall has been discovered and it appears they have been able to stop my defenses around an upper-level emergency hatch and have begun to force their way inside. To combat them, I have chosen to send you to meet them, for your advanced combat abilities, your superior strength, and the fact that you're closest one in proximity to the breach."

While noticing the subversive comment hidden underneath compliment, the young man came to a realization. "So… the time has come for us rise again," he said. "Indeed," said Computo, "after you have taken care of these intruders, it will be your job, as well as your teams, to scout and procure settlements and resources for the betterment of our society so we may be able to flourish in and conquer this new world."

The man got up and stepped out of his pod, quickly regaining his balance, as it had been more than a while since he had walked around in his physical body. "Where are they?" he questioned coldly, but also with a small sense of anticipation coming from his voice. "The breach is in the eastern quadrant of the fourth floor and they will successfully breach The Hall's wall in about 10 minutes," Computo stated. The man cracked his knuckles and started to walk towards the eastern quadrant, with the drone following close behind. "I guess now I will be able to see the results of my training. If they are just common soldiers, then it will not take me too long to break them." the man stated as he began to jog towards his destination. Computo chuckled at this and said "Of course. I would expect nothing less of you. After all… you are Bane."

—

After the miner had been disintegrated, Phoebus had Mr. Schnee to alert him of the situation, but he had already seen what had happened through the feed to his office. They agreed to send down more soldiers as well as the Atlesian Knights in case anything else happened. Mr. Schnee was evacuated from the premises as a safety precaution, and most of the workers were excused for the day so that they would not get in the armies way. A computer specialist was able to disable a small portion of the door's defenses so Phoebus could use his immolation semblance to melt away the door, he would not risk it harming another person on his watch. "I'm almost through, prepare to breach!" he shouted to the soldiers behind him who stood at the ready. Soon the door imploded inwards, and a few seconds after the smoke cleared and the metal cooled, Phoebus gave the command for a squad of 10 soldiers to head in. Upon entering they were hit with a dim blue light from overhead, which gave off an eerie feeling to most of the soldiers. Checking for any hostiles, they gave the all clear for the rest of the men to move in.

General Phoebus entered through the hole he created and followed by a group of 5 Atlesian Knights. Phoebus looked exhausted, the strain he just put on his aura reserves was tremendous. "Are you sure you don't want to stay behind Captain, you look to be in no condition to fight," said a soldier concerned about his commanding officer.

"I am fine," said Phoebus "I just need a minute to regain my strength. Now spread out, we need to make sure this place is safe for when the rest of excavation crew when they return." Phoebus divided his men into groups of two, each accompanied by one Atlesian Knight, and sent them down the corridors to search the area, not knowing what danger awaited them.

—

As one of the groups made their way down one of the corridors, an unsettling silence set in. The only sound that could be heard was the clopping of their feet against the metal floor. As their heads up displays scanned for any signs of life, one of them decided it was best to break the silence.

"So Jerry, what do you think built all of this stuff anyway?" asked the soldier.

"Well I don't know, Billy, but personally I think it was aliens." Said Jerry.

"What, no way," Billy interjected. "This not as advanced enough for me to believe it was aliens"

"It's just an opinion, Billy, you don't have to agree with it," Jerry said defensively.

"I am just saying that in all those science movies, those buildings and spaceships got weird creatures everywhere, slime all over the place, and-"

"Glowing pods creepily attached the walls and ceiling." Jerry suddenly suggested.

"Exactly, but what makes you say tha-" and that is when Billy saw numerous upon numerous glowing human-sized pods lining the walls and ceiling in rows. Each one gave off a blue light, just barely illuminating the figures held within them. Billy gave the Atlesian Knight the order to stand guard as they went to check out the pod closest to them. Cautiously approaching it, Billy reached out and whipped away some of the dust covering the glass. "YAaah!" Billy yelled as he jumped back little.

"What, what was it?" Jerry questioned Billy. "It's a person," Billy said as he began to calm down. "There are people in these pods."

"Do you think they're alive?" Jerry asked as they got closer to the pod. "I think so," Billy said as he leaned in again to get a better look at the man inside the pod. "Yeah, he's still breathing in there, I guess they're just asleep or something."

"Well, whatever it is we should report this to Captain Phoebus right away," said Jerry as he turned on his commlink. "Captain Phoebus we have something to report" Jerry was only greeted by static. "Line dead?" questioned Billy. "I don't know," Jerry said before turning back to trying to make contact with the captain. "Captain Phoebus can you read me," static again, "this is Squad 3 to all points, do you read us," only static, "is anyone out there!" this time he did get an answer, just not over the comm link.

"NO, NO, N-AAAAHHHH!" CRRRRACK!

Both Billy and Jerry quickly looked down the corridor where the scream came from with fright, and what they saw only terrified them more. At the end of the corridor, holding the bloodied and broken corpse of one of their comrades, stood a hulking figure of a man, with broad shoulders and a muscular frame, and green eyes that seemed to pierce the darkness as he stared them down like a wolf hunting his prey.

"St-st-st-stop r-right there alien, or we'll shoot your intergalactic butt back into space, you hear me" Jerry yelled at the beast as he and Billy trained their guns on him.

"Really, Jerry you are going to do this now? He's not an a-" Before Billy could say more, a new voice came from behind them.

"While there are some on this ship of alien ancestry, I can guarantee both of you idiots, we are not," said a robotic voice. Surprised both of them turned their heads in shock to the Atlesian Knight, who now had his gun trained on them.

"Wha-" was all Jerry could get out before the robot shot a round right through his skull. As Jerry's body crumpled to the floor, Billy just stood there petrified, not knowing what to do next.

"Well, I got my one, so I'll leave the last one to you, Bane," said to the Atlesian Knight.

"Huh?" Billy said before he realized he had taken his eyes off the man behind him. As he whirled around, he looked up and saw the man was only a few feet away, charging towards him and reeling back his fist for a devastating punch. Billy brought his gun up to fire in desperation, just pulled the trigger and screamed, "YAAAAAAAH!" The man guarded his face with his face with one of his arms as the bullets just bounced off his clothing, and his fist surged forward like a torpedo. As Bane's fist connected with Billy's head, everything went black.

Bane slowed down when he approached the Atlesian Knight after basically running Billy over, and turned back to look at his handiwork. That punch had shattered Billy's jaw and snapped his head a full 180 degrees, effectively killing him. Bane then turned his attention to the Knight.

"3 teams down in 45 minutes, only two remain. Not bad," Computo said.

"I did not need your help." Bane said gruffly, a little annoyed that Computo got in his way.

"This way was more effective, as we divided the work to optimize our efforts, this was logical." The robot said, and then tacked on "Also I can't let you have all the fun now, can I?" Computo sneered. Bane only glared at the robot.

—

Phoebus was getting worried, his squads hadn't checked in since they headed out a little more than an hour ago. The only constant was the eerie silence that pervaded the building and the mine as well. "Lt. White, what is taking so long to get those comm links back up?" Phoebus impatiently questioned the computer specialist.

"I don't know Captain," White said nervously, "as soon as they split off into groups the comm links went dead, and I don't have any idea why. The only thing I can think of as a reason is that the building is blocking our signal somehow." White continued to type at his computer to bring communications back online. As they stood there in stressed silence, they suddenly the sound footsteps approaching his location. Readying his rifle, Phoebus stood at the ready to defend himself and White if necessary. After about a minute, a bloodied soldier ran around one of the corners, his armor torn and shattered, and a look of desperation and fear in his eyes as he began sprinting for the exit.

"RUN, RUN! GET OUT OF HERE!" the soldier screamed at top of his lungs as he approached Phoebus and White. Phoebus, seeing this soldier is such a state, ran towards him to protect him from the danger that he was sure was closing in behind the man. "Hang on I am almost there," Phoebus shouted. They were at almost an arm's length from each other, until,

 **BANG**

The shot rang out as the body of the soldier tumbled to the ground and fell at Phoebus' feet. Phoebus, whose uniform was now stained by the dead soldier's blood, looked up and saw an Atlesian Knight standing at the other end of the hall, holding a smoking rifle and now training its sights on Phoebus. The Captain rolled out the way of the shot into the corridor beside him for cover, as the Atlesian Knight opened fire on him. Taking a minute to comprehend his situation, he readied his rifle with a bullet he charged with his immolation semblance, and jumped out from behind his cover and fired. The round impacted the robot which erupted in a burst of fire and energy, leaving only the melted remains of the legs still standing. As he took a chance to breathe, Phoebus called out, "White, are you alright back there?"

"Y-y-yes sir I am," said White, clearly shaken by what he just witnessed. "What the heck was that all about. Why did one of Knights go rogue like that?!" Phoebus was also puzzled by this and wondered if this had anything to do with the jammed commlinks as well.

"I don't know, but I am not leaving here until I find out" Phoebus stated. "My men might be dead in here and I am not leaving until I give whatever did this to them the proper response!"

It was then Phoebus and White heard a sound like someone was slowly clapping. Around a corner came a large, muscular man in a black jumpsuit, who continued clapping as he made his way over to Phoebus. As the man made his way over, he looked down to see the remains the Knight and grinned. He looked Phoebus dead in the eye and said, "Wonderful little speech, and while I will commend you for taking Computo down a peg, you are still trespassing on Society property. Your choices are to leave and live or stay and die. It's up to you."

Phoebus, however, was not phased by the threat and stood his ground. "Where are my men, what did you do to them?" The man raised an eyebrow and said, "If the dead soldier at your feet isn't an indicator of what I have done with the others, then I might just have to spell it out for you."

Phoebus clenched his jaw in rage as he looked at the man with pure hatred in his eyes. Before he put this monster in his place, he shouted, "White, RUN! Get back to the surface and tell them what happened, THAT'S AN ORDER. I will meet you up there when I am finished with this scumbag." White wanted to protest with Phoebus, but he knew he would be a liability if he remained down here. With a response of, "Yes, sir!", he grabbed his computer and sprinted in the direction of the central elevator. At this Phoebus turned back to the man and aimed to gun right at his chest. The man stood there unfazed by his actions, and took a stance, preparing himself for their confrontation.

"You truly are a man who puts his soldiers before himself. I admire that. What is your name?" the man asked.

"I am Captain Arthur Phoebus of the Kingdom of Atlas, and for the men who died at your hands I will strike you down!" Phoebus heroically stated. The man smiled and replied in kind.

"I am Bane of the Secret Society of Super Villains. Prepare to die," and with that Bane charged forward as Phoebus opened fire.


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter 3:**

Phoebus leaped back as Bane's fist collided with the floor letting out a small shockwave that caused Phoebus to stumble a bit. Regaining his balance, he opened fire on Bane, who shielded his face with his arms to deflect the projectiles. Bane then charged forward again and launched a punch toward Phoebus, who dodged as the fist slammed into the wall. Bane removed his fist from the dented wall, stating "You only have so many bullets, it won't be long until you run out. When are you going to fight like a real soldier?" Phoebus glowered at Bane, knowing that the madman was right. He only had one clip left, and the dust rounds were less than useless against Bane's clothing. Quickly thinking up a plan, Phoebus ran towards Bane, guns blazing. "Say what you want, I'm just getting started," Phoebus shouted as Bane once again shielded his face to stop the onslaught, but Phoebus had expected this. As he was about arm's length from Bane, Phoebus tossed his now empty rifle, pulled out his knife, and jumped, propelling himself over his opponent. Bane looked up and saw Phoebus when he was halfway over him, a smug look on his face, believing he had deceived him. That smugness turned into worry when Bane's arms shot out and grabbed Phoebus' legs mid-flight, and slammed the Captain to the ground. While his aura took the brunt of the blow, Phoebus felt the air being forced out of his lungs like a popped balloon. Not giving the man a moment's rest, Bane slammed Phoebus into the adjacent wall, and then threw him overhead into the wall on the far side of the corridor. Phoebus could feel his aura cracking, by his guess he was about at a little less than half now. If his aura fell any further he could be in serious trouble, he had to end this quickly. Bane, however, was perplexed, as his opponent showed no sign of injury from the attack that would have crippled a regular man. "You're sturdier than I first believed," Bane said, clearly irritated.

"An Atlas soldier never surrenders," proudly stated Phoebus between gasps for breath, "As long as my aura shines, I will keep on fighting until you are defeated!" He said as his aura flashed triumphantly." While Bane was mildly surprised by this development, he furrowed his brow, grim determination spreading across his face."No shield is impenetrable" Bane factually stated, as he charged toward Phoebus, intending to prove his point. Phoebus stood his ground, waiting for Bane to get closer so he could use his semblance on him, not wanting to waste any time finishing this fight. As Bane closed in, Phoebus' hands began to burn with power as he thrust them forward, shooting a bolt of red-hot fire out of his hands, striking Bane dead center in his chest. Bane was propelled backward, landing hard on the floor until he skidded to a halt, as he groaned in pain.

While the blast hadn't broken his clothing, he still felt the full impact. As he was getting to his feet, he saw Phoebus charge towards him, flaming fists a blazing, as he jumped forward to strike Bane down again. Before Phoebus could barbecue him, Bane rolled out of the way as Phoebus's clenched fist hit the floor, causing an explosion of fire to erupt from underneath it. Safely dodging the blow, Bane got to his feet and resumed his fighting stance once again. While this did explain how these soldiers melted the doorway, it complicated how Bane was going to win this fight. While durable, the jumpsuit he was wearing could not take another concentrated blow like that again, and he would be left vulnerable to his enemy's power. However, Bane noticed Phoebus' aura flashing again, and his deep breathing. Overall, his opponent looked tired, and Bane discerned that he could not keep up this power for much longer. At that moment, Phoebus closed the gap between him and Bane with astounding speed, as Bane barely had enough time to put his guard up to block the blast. The fire forced Bane back a few feet, but his guard held, but his sleeves were burnt to a crisp. Bane only cringed slightly as he felt his forearms burning from the blow, as he lowered his guard and saw the triumphant look on Phoebus' face. "You were correct about no shield being impenetrable. While your suit was impressive, it cannot stand against the true power of a huntsman," Phoebus heroically said, "Now it is time for you to-" Phoebus stopped mid-sentence, as he heard the most peculiar noise coming from Bane's mouth. He was chuckling. Although he was a little concerned, Phoebus was mostly unfazed by this. "Realizing your futility in this fight, murderer?" questioned Phoebus.

"No," said Bane, his solemn excitement evident in his voice, "just enjoying this little workout is all." Phoebus' eyes widened in shock and then narrowed into an expression of fury, being taken so lightly by this madman. "Now," Bane continued, "I don't have to hold back anymore," as he tightly clenched his fists. Taking his chance to overpower this soldier, Bane concentrated, as his brain began to respond to his commands, releasing the naturally produced Venom. The steroid began to flow through his body, as his veins began to glow green and activating the monstrous transformation.

Phoebus, seeing his opponent immobilized for the moment, took this chance to finish him off, and brought his hands out in front of him and fired a huge torrent of fire towards Bane. As the blast engulfed Bane, hope and triumph shone from his eyes. He had successfully avenged his fallen men, and they could rest easy now. However, this bright light was quickly diminished, as to his horror, Phoebus saw a large figure forcing its way through the fire. "No… this isn't possible," he said despairingly, "Burn, you bastard, BURN!" Phoebus forced the last bits of his aura into this blast, increasing the size of the blast and forcing the figure back, but it just kept coming. Phoebus could feel the last drops of his aura slipping away, but he couldn't give up, he would not give in! It was then, to Phoebus horror, Bane burst from the flames, fire rolling off him like some kind of monolithic demon and glowing a sickly green color. Bane roared as he launched his now massive fist straight at Phoebus, who couldn't think of anything else to try and guard against the blow. As his aura crumbled, Phoebus felt his forearms and ribcage crack and shatter like glass, as he was launched like a missile into the wall behind him. He felt his right shoulder crumble as blood began expelling from his mouth like a geyser. Before he could fall, Bane pinned the man to the wall with one hand, bringing him to eye level. Barely conscious, Phoebus lifted his head to look his adversary in the face, "You 'cough' may have defeated me 'cough', but there will be others. When word spreads about your actions, 'cough' Atlas will hunt you down and make you pay for your crimes!" Bane tightened his grip on the man, feeling more bones break under his clutch, as he prepared to deliver his coup de grace. "When your armies, your heroes, and your guardians come for us, we will not only defeat them but like you," said Bane as he lifted the bloody captain over his head, "we will…," with that he violently brought Phoebus back down on his knee, as a sickening sound of the man's spine breaking resounded through the halls,

" **BREAK THEM**!"

Phoebus' blood-curdling scream ended as he finally lost consciousness, and rolled off of Bane's knee. For a moment Bane stood their triumphantly, knowing he had made his message clear. However, this moment did not last long.

"Took you long enough, for a moment there I thought you were gonna get taken down a peg as well," said Computo, sarcasm evident in his voice, as his drone body approached from behind Bane. "Where have you been?" asked Bane, the moment now ruined with the AI's presence. "I was off repairing the gaping hole in the wall they used to get in here, it was logical. Also, I thought you said you didn't need help, hmmm?" Computo teased, trying to get a rise out of his compatriot. Bane wouldn't give the soulless machine the satisfaction and just continued to glare at the spherical drone. After this, they both turned their attention to the broken and unmoving body of the captain at their feet.

"Shall I dispose of the body now? After all, it is appropriate for a Captain to go down with their crew, isn't it?" asked Computo, activating the disintegration turrets from overhead. However, Bane put his put his hand up. "No," said Bane, "This man fought valiantly, even with his body tired and broken he persevered. Instead, this Phoebus will serve as a warning to any who seek to oppose us, and help spread the fear of us around the world once again," Bane said proudly.

"Well I'm glad you had fun on your playdate, kid, but how do you suppose we get him to where other people can actually see him?" Computo asked as Bane used all of his self-control to not crush the drone into a baseball. Calming himself, Bane turned his head to the drone and asked, "Are the Boom Tube generators online yet?"

"They will be online in 10 minutes," stated Computo, "shall I set the coordinates for the surface then?"

"Yes," Bane said, but then another thought occurred to him, "and if possible, try to pinpoint the location to where that other soldier ran off to," he said, a small grin slowly forming on his face.

Even though Computo didn't have a mouth, one could imagine from the way the drone was whirring, that a demonic grin was forming on his face as well. "I will see," the AI said a little dementedly, "Anything else?" he asked. Bane wasted no time and said, "Yes, get me my mask."

—

After Lt. White had escaped from the mine, he began to sprint towards the office facilities to try and get a hold of the Atlas army to report to them about what had happened. He broke his way into one of the communication towers, sat down at the nearest call terminal, and quickly dialed in the number for the Atlas military. "Come on, come on, pick up!" he screamed at the machine, nerves shot. He left Captain Phoebus at the mercy of that monster down there, and while he did not doubt his Captain's abilities, he wasn't sure how long he could last against the mysterious figure. Finally, after what seemed like an age, the phone picked up and to his surprise, General Ironwood appeared on the screen. "Hello," the General greeted, "I understand this transmission is coming from the-" "Help, help, we need HELP!" White screamed. Ironwood's worry and surprise grew at that moment, as he heard the man's desperate pleas. He heard about there was an incident at the mines and tried to contact Jacque or Phoebus earlier, but for some reason, none of his calls went through. He alerted the army to send back up units and forward any calls coming from the facility directly to him. Ironwood had hoped it would be a small problem, but that

"Pull yourself together soldier," Ironwood ordered, "I need you to tell me exactly what happened. Is Captain Phoebus with you?" he then asked. Taking a minute to compose himself, White began to say, "General, we were able to get through the wall today but-"

BOOM

A surge of light and energy burst into the room, as White was knocked back by the sudden blast. The surge also interrupted the transmission, and the call began to turn to static. Pulling himself off the floor, White turned and saw what looked a pulsating portal in the middle of the room. Soon he saw two figures exiting the portal, and to White's terror, it was the monster holding the bloodied and broken body of Captain Phoebus. The monster now sported a black mask over his head, with a white area covering his facial area. Even through the blood red lenses of the mask, White could still see those piercing green eyes staring at him. As he approached the computer specialist, White began to tremble in fear, not knowing whether he was going to be killed right then and there. The man stopped in front of White and dropped the unconscious Phoebus to the floor at the lieutenant feet. He then directly stared into White's eyes and said, "Your captain fought admirably, you should be proud, but know this. Retaliating against us will only cause your people more suffering, as we will return any transgression you commit against us a hundredfold. Also, if you think I am the worst the Hall has to offer, well then I am sorry to say you're sorely mistaken. Some of my brothers and sisters can cause more damage to their pinkie fingers than your armies entire arsenal. Now, return to your leaders, and let them know that the Secret Society of Super-Villains is not to be trifled with, and any attack against us in the future will ensure their utter destruction." Bane then leaned down close to White's face and threateningly whispered, "Are we clear?"

White, who at this point had broken out into a cold sweat, was too terrified to speak, and only let out a squeak of terror as a response. "I'll take that as a yes." Bane said as he got back up, turned around, and walked back toward the portal. Stepping inside, the portal closed with another flash of power that momentarily blinded White for a minute. White just sat there with his injured Captain, completely shaken by what had just occurred. Suddenly the call came back online, as Ironwood's face appeared on the monitor again. "HELLO, HELLO, soldier what happened?!" At that White completely broke down, and the only response Ironwood got was White despair filled scream.

—

As Bane made his way out of the Boom Tube generator, he began to make his way over to the main meeting room. Exiting the elevator to Level 2, it was only a short walk from their to the spacious meeting room. Once he entered, Bane made his way over to one of the court style chairs and sat down. At that moment, Computo entered the room, still inhabiting the drone, and floated his way over to Bane.

"So is it safe to assume the kid is gonna have PTSD ridden nightmares of you for the rest of his life?" Computo said in a disturbingly gleeful tone.

"Most likely," stated Bane.

"Excellent." Computo responded, "Well now that that ordeal is taken care of, what should our next move be?," the AI then questioned.

"You said it yourself earlier," Bane said as he pressed a button on the console in front of him. The computer pedestal in the center of the room lit up and began to display various faces of people, the children of some of the greatest super villains the Society has ever known. It was their destiny to restore the Society to its former glory, so they could live once again. "Now we assemble the founders of this new era."


	4. Chapter 4

**Chapter 4:**

Ironwood had just spent the half hour bringing Ozpin up to speed on the mine incident, to which he still did not have much knowledge. All he knew was that shortly after the call was abruptly cut off, Captain Phoebus' body had appeared in the room out of thin air, and the computer specialist had been reduced to a hysterical heap. Soon after, the backup squad arrived and evacuated the two soldiers to safety, and helped patch up Phoebus on their way to the hospital. The initial diagnosis from the medical officers onboard the bullhead reported multiple shattered bones and organs, a gash to the back of the head, but worst of all was that his spinal cord was completely severed from his lower body. While they said it was too early to make a positive diagnosis, they said Phoebus would most likely be paralyzed for the rest of his life. The specialist, White, was completely traumatized by the events that occurred, and for some reason the Atlesian Knights that accompanied the soldiers sent White into a nervous meltdown, telling the soldiers to shoot the robots before they shot them.

After finishing his report, the atmosphere in Headmaster Ozpin's clock tower office was so tense you could cut it with a knife. Ironwood looked at Ozpin, who now had a serious but worried expression on his face. Glynda as well looked concerned about the situation, as there was so much about what transpired at the mine that they did not know about.

"What do you make if this, Ozpin?" asked Ironwood. The Headmaster was pondering the situation himself before he was interrupted and looked up from his desk to properly speak to his friend. "Whatever happened down there in that mine, these events may not be exclusive to just Atlas. We may have to assume that whoever or whatever attacked those soldiers have greater plans for Remnant as a whole," Ozpin examined.

"Phoebus was one of my best men, with his abilities he could have become a special operative easily. Whoever he went up against must have had some form of advanced combat training. We'll be able to know the full extent of his condition once the doctors finish the x-rays at the hospital." Ironwood said, downcast at the situation. Phoebus had a promising career ahead of him, but now that future had been completely dismantled by his severe injuries. "On the other hand, Lt. White, while completely unscathed, is still completely incoherent, breaking down at even the slightest provocation. The doctors are assuming this to be some form of post-traumatic stress. For the time being, we are giving White time to recuperate, and we will be able to speak with him later this week, possibly."

"Well that's all fine and good, but I think it's time we discuss our next objective," stated Glynda.

"Indeed, and while I would like to know more about who we are up against, I have a feeling that time is of the essence," Ozpin said.

"As do I," Ironwood said. "I believe it is safe to assume that our enemies haven't abandoned the structure. Phoebus' injuries are evidence to their ferocity, which could mean they are guarding something down there. Right now, they are at a strategic disadvantage, so I say we take this opportunity to strike," he stated, eager to go on the offensive.

However, both Ozpin and Glynda were reluctant to go along with Ironwood's request."James, while I don't believe we should rush into a fight without all information available, I say we should hold off for now," Ironwood was about to argue, " but we should at the least send in a scouting party to do reconnaissance." At this Ironwood sighed, "Don't cause a panic, right?" he inquired to the headmaster. If one looked closely, they could see Ozpin's face muscles shape into a faint smile. "You're catching on, General." While Ironwood wanted to put this problem down like a rabid dog, he knew Ozpin would not concede to such a plan that required absolute force without proper intel to ensure their success and safety.

"I'll send the order, the team should arrive around midnight," Ironwood said as he dialed a number on his scroll. While the Breach of Vale had been a horrible catastrophe, they had the brave hunters and huntresses defending them from the Grimm invasion. If he could prevent another catastrophe like that, Ironwood would do everything in his power to ensure their enemies were destroyed.

—

Back in the Hall, Bane scrutinized the list of potential founders carefully. It was their mission to prepare this new world for their Society's return, and only those with great power, intelligence, and cunning could help lay these foundations for their future. As he thought, Bane remembered his time in The Hall's mindscape, where he had trained himself until his awakening earlier today. Not only were the residents of the Hall allowed to train their bodies and minds in this virtual reality, they were able to interact and learn about each other, as they had done when they were children. Bane remembered one man in particular, who he knew he could trust with his endeavor. At that moment, Computo got right up in Bane's face.

"Earth to Bane, you still in there?" the AI asked. Bane tried swatting the drone out of the air, but moved back and dodged the attempted slap. "Good to know. So while you were zoning out, I was busy compiling a list of potential candidates who could guarantee an absolutely decimating campaign against this world unopposed. Take a look." The drone then projected the list, containing many heavy hitters and evil geniuses alike. While Bane saw their potential, he did not know them well, and therefore, could not completely trust them to have the best interests of the Society in mind.

"No," Bane harshly stated, "One does not truly conquer land through force alone, and I have no confidence that with legacies such as theirs or if they would put aside their own agendas for the benefit of their comrades. I require teammates who can see the bigger picture, comrades whom I can trust."

Computo was silent for a second, taking a moment to process the paradoxical statement Bane uttered from his mouth. "Trust? On a team of supervillains? You've got to be joking, right?"

Bane turned his head sharply toward the drone, eyes narrowing. "If we are too busy secretly plotting our own conquests and stabbing each other in the back, the Society will never achieve their true goal. It would be a return to the strife and conflict our parents resolved before our birth. Do you want to fail, Computo?" Bane coldly asked.

"No," said Computo, "but my candidates will lead to the most direct and fastest route to victory. They could take on any Earth hero or army-"

"Except this isn't Earth anymore is it?" Bane interjected, "The world we were born into is not the same one we have awakened in. Or have you forgotten the Deicide already?" Bane said as a sudden chill filled the atmosphere of the room. "There are too many unknowns at play, so we cannot charge in believing the same rules apply. I need a team who is going to be able to adapt to this new world, not destroy it."

Computo's drone body floated there for a minute longer, then it retracted the projection. "Alright," the AI asked begrudgingly, "Who did you have in mind?" At this, Bane searched through the database and began compiling a list. Once he found one particular name, Bane sent the candidate's pod number to Computo. The AI examined his choice before saying, "Him?"

"His father was a brilliant man," Bane said, a bit of admiration evident in his voice, "He helped design the Hall, so if anyone can maintain its complex facilities and systems, it's him."

Computo was silent as he sent off the signal to retrieve the stasis pod. Five minutes later, a hatch opened in the ceiling above them, as mechanical arms lowered the pod into the center of the meeting room. When the pod safely reached the ground, Bane got up from his pedestal and approached it as the occupant inside began to awaken. The hatch flew open as steam poured out of the center, and the man sat upright, still dazed and confused. He was a decently built man, around 5'8, appearing around 24 years of age, wearing a suit identical to Bane's. One unique trait of the man was his large, hawkish nose, and short, dirty blonde hair that seemed to stick out like he had just been scratching his scalp. As he was sitting up, he began reaching around his pod, searching for something. At that moment, a small compartment on the inside of the pod opened, revealing a pair of bifocal glasses. Hearing the sound of the compartment opening, the man's hand instinctively reached out and retrieved the glasses, and placed them on his face. Being able to see clearly now, the man began to cautiously examine the room around him.

"Wha, What's going on?" the man asked, quickly taking in his surroundings, blue eyes searching for a threat that wasn't there.

"Hello, my friend." the man jumped as he heard a deep voice come from behind him. Although, the voice was also quite familiar to him. The man slowly turned around and saw a tan-skinned man towering over him, with green eyes that were serious, but at the same time welcoming. The green-eyed man reached his hand out to him to help him out of his pod, to which he accepted. The man pulled him out of his now former abode and helped him stand up.

Bane looked down at his friend and said, "It's good to see Ebenezer," extending his fist towards his friend.

"Likewise, Bane," said Ebenezer reciprocating the friendly gesture with a fist bump. "Now I assume since you brought me out of suspended animation, that our time has come."

"Indeed." Bane stated simply, "A company of soldiers breached The Hall's outer defenses earlier. I was able to dispatch them with relative ease." said Bane before Computo interjected.

"Illogical, we shared the task." Computo robotically stated. Bane turned to the drone once again with a glint of annoyance in his eyes. "You only hastened the task, and I was fully capable of handling them on my own." his voice barely above a snarl. Ebenezer stared quizzically at the duo, curious about the events that transpired to his awakening. After this, Bane turned back to face Ebenezer again and continued. "Anyway, now we must gather teammates who will help us explore and conquer this new world."

"You're right, Bane." Ebenezer said, "However, I believe our immediate priority should be moving the Hall. It's obvious to assume that these soldiers represent a much larger army. Therefore, they may return to this location to strike, seeing how we are exposed at the moment. Before we revive anyone else, we must ensure the security of our base and that there will be no potential interruptions during our comrades' reawakening." While Bane was skeptical that the Atlesian Army would be able to breach the Hall a second time, he knew it was best not to take that chance. "Agreed." Bane simply said, "We'll reconvene on the matter once we relocate."

"Excellent," Ebenezer said, a confident smirk spreading across his face. He then turned toward Computo's drone. "To properly conduct this Boom Tube jump, we will need to have a lay of the land to gain more accurate latitudinal and longitudinal coordinates. Computo, we need to launch the spy satellite into orbit as soon as possible. While I go prep the satellite for take off, I need you to divert all available power to the Boom Tube generators."

"Diverting power now," Computo automatically said as the lights began to flicker, "While I initially had my doubts about your usefulness, I concede that you are not a half as bad as I supposed you were."

"What can I say," Ebenezer said pridefully, pushing his glasses to the bridge of his nose, " Us Sivana's are just full of surprises."

—

A starry and peaceful sky graced the tundras of Atlas this night, and the only sound was the howling of the frigid arctic winds that washed over the land like a frozen wave. The silence was shattered as a singular Bullhead drop ship flew quickly overhead towards its destination. On board, a squad of soldiers sat quietly, checking their equipment before they landed. It was then their captain entered from the cockpit and addressed his soldiers.

"Alright men listen up!" said Captain Archibald to his squad.

His men looked at him with attentive eyes, waiting for their orders. Their squad had been assigned a special recon mission that afternoon by General Ironwood himself. They were being sent to a Schnee Dust Company mine in the northern area of Atlas. Their mission was to observe the area and report back to General Ironwood about the unknown enemies that were hiding inside the mine. Apparently, they had appeared from within a structure that was discovered in the mine about two weeks ago, and Captain Phoebus and one other soldier barely made out with their lives. The rest of the squad was not present when the two survivors were found in the communication facility of the complex and were assumed dead.

"We're about an hour out, so get prepared to drop. Once we have boots on the ground, we'll head to the southern ridge overlooking the mine and set up camp there. Remember, we have been instructed only to engage if the enemy engages us first." As Archibald finished preparing his team, one of the pilots called out to him. "Captain, you're going to want to see this." At this, Archibald rushed back to the cockpit, wondering what had caught their attention so suddenly. As he entered the room, he was about to clarify what they needed him for, before he looked out the glass and saw what they were concerned about.

Even from miles away, one could easily make out the streak of fire and light racing towards the heavens. At first, Archibald and the pilots assumed the enemy had somehow locked on to their position and launched a missile at them, but the object continued skyward. Archibald's expression hardened as he turned to the pilot. "This as fast as this thing can fly?" He asked in a serious tone. "No sir," responded the pilot.

"Step on it, something's happening down there, and any minute we aren't there is time wasted. Get us there faster, while I alert command about this."

—

"Why didn't you inform me that we were underneath several miles of rock before I tried launching our precious satellite into orbit?!" Ebenezer exasperatedly asked. Prepping the rocket for takeoff was no problem for him, but almost destroying their only means of long-range teleportation was something that sent the mad scientist into a panicked and furious frenzy. He glared at both his comrades through the screen, as Bane's mask kept him from seeing his expression, while Computo couldn't emote, for he was a mere AI. It was then, Computo spoke up.

"You ran off before we could explain more about our situation. Before you launched the satellite, I activated the laser drills surrounding the missile ports to guarantee safe passage. I assumed a man of your supposed intellect would be able to handle this problem by yourself. My intervention was logical and necessary." Computo stated, before adding. "Plus, your reaction was priceless," as he pulled up a video of Ebenezer screaming in terror as the satellite rushed to its hypothetical doom.

Ebenezer began seething with rage, as his knuckles cracked as he clenched his fists.

Before Ebenezer could go on a vicious tirade against the AI, Bane intervened. "Despite leaving out crucial information that could have endangered our plans, the satellite has been launched and will soon be active. What we need to do now is get the satellite online so we can find a hidden location to relocate the Hall. Ebenezer, how much longer until the satellite breaks through the stratosphere?" Bane authoritatively said.

At this, Ebenezer took a few deep breaths and calmed down enough to think coherently again. He would deal with this matter later, right now he had a job to do. "The satellite will reach orbit in about 10 minutes, and will be online 5 minutes afterward."

"Good," said Bane, before turning his attention to their AI companion. "Computo, are there any problems with the Boom Tube Generator?"

"No, they are showing optimal levels of stability, but we have another problem on our hands," Computo said as he brought up an image of an airship approaching the mine. "The perimeter drones I sent topside earlier picked up this ship about an hour ago and have been tracking its progress. They will arrive at our location in about 45 minutes, so I suggest we hasten our efforts to relocate."

Bane and Ebenezer silently nodded as they returned to the tasks at hand. All he could do was wait until the satellite made orbit, and Ebenezer hated feeling useless and powerless. The enemy was almost at their doorstep, and he couldn't do anything but wait. After what seemed like an hour, the satellite finally reached its optimal position in orbit. At this, Ebenezer began furiously typing away at his keyboard, as the feed from the satellite was brought up on the screen, giving Ebenezer a clear view of the new world. "Alright, the satellite is online," Ebenezer said quickly. "We only have a limited range of location as of this moment, but I can safely transport us outside of the country we are currently in. Bane, I am sending you the feed, and I know we are in a bit of rush, but try to pick an isolated location. Computo, when Bane and I come to a consensus, we'll send you the coordinates. Once you've locked on to the coordinates, activate the Boom Tube Generator immediately!"

The feed from the satellite soon showed up on Bane's screen, as he scrutinized it for a proper location. It appeared that they were currently located in the northern hemisphere of the planet, on an arctic landmass. Directly south of them were signs of civilization, and even further was a secluded island far off the coast. There were several smaller islands just off the coast of the island, and it appeared that no one was currently inhabiting them at this moment. "I believe I have found a suitable location," Bane said as he sent the coordinates off to Ebenezer for a consensus. Ebenezer quickly looked over the location, "No signs of civilization, fairly isolated, but also pretty close to a larger landmass. It fills all our immediate requirements so I agree," Ebenezer said. "Computo, I am sending you the coordinates now. Bane you might want to hold onto something this is going to be a bumpy ride." As Ebenezer said this, Computo had locked onto the island's coordinates and had activated the Boom Tube Generator. A low hum reverberated through the Hall, as a light started to envelop the entire structure. "Transporting in T-minus 10 seconds," Computo stated.

—

As the bullhead landed on the cold ground near the southern ridge of the mining complex, Archibald's squad exited the vehicle and began rushing towards the ridge with their equipment. "Alright men," shouted the captain, "While the rest of you set up camp, myself and two others are going down to take a closer look at the mine. Lt. Finch, I need you to set up communications right no-" Archibald would have finished his command, but the ground began to shake violently. A great tremor shook the land, and the mine began to collapse. Suddenly, a bright light began to emanate from the entrance to the mine, which grew in intensity along with the tremors. As the squad of soldiers fell to the ground, clinging to the rock for dear life, the tremor built to a climax as loud noise echoed across the landscape.

 **BOOM**

With a final flash of light, the mine imploded in on itself, as the entire complex crumbled and fell apart. Once the tremors finally stopped, Captain Archibald got back to his feet and rushed towards what remained of the southern ridge to see what had happened. Once he reached the edge, his jaw dropped in shock as he saw the devastation that had occurred. There was not a single building left standing, and you couldn't even tell that there was a mine there anymore. The gaping hole in the center of the complex seemed to go on for miles. As the rest of his squad got up, they saw their captain standing in a complete daze. Lt. Finch hurried over to his captain as he looked over the devastation.

"What do we do now, sir?" asked Finch, completely at a loss for words to describe the situation. After a minute, Archibald finally responded. "I'm going to put in a call to the General to inform him, he's not going to be happy about this," Archibald said dumbfounded. Suddenly, he began to chuckle a little bit, as Finch wondered if his Captain had just lost his mind.

"Well, at least there is one good thing about this," Archibald said, as Finch gawked at him perplexed. "What's that, sir?" Finch asked. Archibald finally looked at him and said, "I'm not the one who has to tell what just happened to Mr. Schnee." Imagining the businessman's reaction to these events, Finch went white and nodded his head in agreement.

—

Another day of Vytal Festival preparations done, Ironwood was more than ready to retire to his quarters. He couldn't very well do his job properly if he neglected sleep, now could he? As he was about to excuse himself from Ozpin's office, a call appeared on his scroll. His eyes widened, it was from central command. He thought it was too soon for the recon team to be calling in, as he imagined the worst case scenarios that might occur.

"Is something wrong, James?" Ozpin asked slight concern showing on his face.

"I believe it's from the recon team," James said, worry evident in his voice.

"It's too early for them to check in, they only landed half an hour ago," said Glynda. Ozpin, always the calm and cool type, tried to diffuse the situation.

"No need to jump to conclusions, perhaps they're just checking in to keep you updated on their progress," Ozpin suggested. While this calmed Ironwood a bit, he was still concerned. His gut was telling him something was terribly wrong, as he answered the call. He placed his scroll on Ozpin's console as the call was transferred to a larger screen, as the image of a young woman appeared.

"Good evening General Ironwood," said the communications officer, "Sorry to disturb you this late, but the reconnaissance team you sent to the mine has just checked in, and they said it was imperative that they inform you directly." From the way it sounded, the trio assumed the soldiers had discovered something major about their new enemy or the operation had already gone horribly wrong.

"Thank you, officer," General Ironwood said, "you can put them through." At this, the officer typed in some commands on her computer, and her image was replaced by Captain Archibald, who had a dazed and confused look on his face that only caused further concern for Ironwood and company.

"Captain Archibald, what is it you have to report?" Ironwood questioned.

"Sir, after we touched down, a large tremor passed through the area. My men and I were knocked to the ground, but we could see a light emanating from the mine. After about 10 minutes, there was a loud bang, and the mine collapsed in on itself. However, I have something else to report." Everyone in the room was wondering how this could possibly get any worse, as not only was Ironwood going to have to tell Jaques that one of his mines was decimated, but they still had no information on the structure or its inhabitants.

Because Ironwood was stuck in a shocked stupor, Ozpin continued the conversation. "What else, Captain?"

"Well Headmaster, the structure is..uh..it's..well.." it appeared that Archibald was having trouble coming up with words to describe the structure's current status. Finally, Archibald took a deep breath, and simply said,

"It's gone."

The moment the words left Archibald's mouth, all sound in Ozpin's office ceased. Ozpin's and Glynda's glasses almost fell off the bridge of their nose, their mouths so slightly hanging open. After three minutes of uncomfortable silence, Ironwood said, "What?"

"The structure, sir," Archibald said, concern growing on his face, "It's no longer in the mine."

After a moment to fully process the information he was given, Ironwood put a brave expression on his face and said, "Thank you for informing us Captain, we will call you at a later date for more specifics. For now, you and your men should head back to base."

"Yes, sir. Have a good night, sir," Archibald said as the call ended. Now, without being in the presence of his soldiers, Ironwood pinched the bridge of his nose to alleviate some of his anxiety, but to no avail. This anxiety was shared with his two companions, who all had the same question on their minds. How does a structure that huge just disappear, and where on Remnant did it go?

—

The island of Vytal, where the Great War that almost doomed Remnant came to an end, where the ideas for the huntsmen academies were first thought up and established, and where the longest time of peace in the history of the world began. Certainly, the events that transpired on this small island has played a pivotal role in the life of every person now living. Despite such a high pedigree, no buildings, monuments, or villages had been constructed to honor such a sacred site. Now, just off the coast of the main island, there are several smaller islands, all of which have been rarely trodden upon. Now, the island of Vytal will play such a role again, for, on the northernmost isle, an explosion of light and sound emanated. The event only lasted for a moment, and in its place stood the Hall, finally free of its underground prison. On the inside, in the meeting hall, Bane, Ebenezer, and Computo had reconvened to discuss the matter of choosing their teammates. Bane, who had already compiled a list of potential candidates, had sent it over to Ebenezer for his approval. Ebenezer, quickly scrutinized the profiles and abilities of these people, with an interested, yet puzzled look on his face.

"Interesting choices, Bane," Ebenezer said quizzically. "These probably wouldn't have been my first choice, and I will admit, I do see their potential, but why these three?"

"I was wondering that myself? Earlier, you said you wanted people who would be able to adapt to this world. So tell me, what makes these individuals qualify?" Computo asked, eager to learn Bane's answer.

Bane took a moment to prepare and then began to explain his decisions. "I have seen their potential first hand. When we were in the mindscape, Ebenezer, we were given vast resources to enable and enhance our being. Our predecessors added this feature to The Hall because when we were eventually awakened, they wanted us to be ready. These individuals used their time wisely, gaining knowledge in a number of fields and enhancing their physical abilities as well. Even though they are not a part of the premiere legacies the Society has, I believe that based on the determination they have shown in the mindscape, these individuals can take on the challenges this world has to offer." Ebenezer was about to interject, until Bane said, "I'm not done. Be patient." Ebenezer shut his mouth, ready for what else Bane had to say. "These candidates also have unique skills as criminals that more accurately showcase the types of people the society has accepted into their ranks. Our organization was never just made up of brain dead tanks and scientists with delusions of grandeur. Their ranks also consisted of artful thieves, skilled assassins, silver-tongued devils, and dark sorcerers. To fully equip ourselves for our campaign, we will require our entire arsenal." As Bane finished his explanation, he could see that Ebenezer was thinking over what he had just said. After about a few moments, a glint appeared in Ebenezer's eye, as a slight grin graced his face.

"You made a good point there Bane," Ebenezer said, "but if you don't mind, I would like to add one more candidate to the list." Bane, while curious what his friend was plotting, saw no reason that Ebenezer shouldn't be allowed to choose someone. "Fair enough, what is their pod number?" Bane questioned, ready to type in the number on his screen. Ebenezer snickered, "She doesn't have one." Even under his mask, Bane's eyes gave away his confusion at this statement. "Then where is she?" he asked curiously. "In the armory," Ebenezer said as his grin grew. Bane's expression grew more surprised, his mind coming to only one conclusion as to what his friend was considering making their ally. "An android?" Bane asked. "One in particular," Ebenezer said, sending the android's profile over to Bane's screen.

As Bane began to carefully look at the profile, Ebenezer kept talking. "She was rebuilt sometime after her initial destruction at the hands of one of the later incarnations of the Outsiders by my grandfather and T.O. Morrow. While it was unfortunate that her family couldn't be salvaged, she has more than proved her continued value to the Society. After repairing and upgrading her, she now wields the force of several nuclear warheads, but there are limiters that only allow her to access a certain amount of power, based on the type of combat situations she encounters. She would make an excellent ace in the hole if we ever found ourselves in jam. Not to mention the possibilities for coercion and infiltration." As Ebenezer was finished explaining, Bane looked up from his screen, a serious expression on his face, but strangely there was also humor. "I thought that was what you were for." stated Bane. Ebenezer put on a humble facade, wagging his finger. "No my friend, she will your ace in the whole," his face darkened as his grin became more ominous, "I will be your last resort." After a moment, Bane chuckled as he knowingly nodded his head. He then turned his head to Computo's drone. "Computo, awaken these three individuals from suspended animation and bring android designate, "Sis," online," Bane authoritatively asked. Computo didn't respond at first but quickly sent the awakening signal to the respective stasis pods. "Pods 256, 401, and 143 are being transported down here, but it will take me a little more time to get Sis back online." As Computo said this, three hatches opened in the ceiling above as robotic arms lowered the stasis pods to the floor. As the pods opened, the occupants began to stir, and soon stood up and exited their pods.

"I-I'm out? Why?" asked the only man, nervousness, and confusion obvious in his voice.

"Is it not obvious, you land rat, we have finally been summoned, " spat one of the women, who gave off a regal and superior vibe. The man looked highly offended by that particular comment and was about to throw an insult back at his transgressor before the other woman interjected.

"Indeed," the man and woman both turned to face her as she said this, " and I believe we have them to thank for our awakening." She said as she gestured towards Bane and Ebenezer. As the two others turned their attention toward their benefactors, Bane smiled and greeted them.

"Welcome my friends, we have much work to do."


	5. Chapter 5

**Chapter 5:**

Beacon Academy, where generations of the Kingdom of Vale's noble huntsman and huntresses were forged. Here, they honed their combat skills to take on the Creatures of Grimm that prey upon the lands of Remnant and to preserve the peace that began many decades before. There was great promise in the academy's first-year class, but the two stars that shone brightest were Team RWBY and Team JNPR. At this time of day, both teams were in Glynda Goodwitch's combat class, participating in sparring and observing their brother's and sisters in arms. At the moment, the white-haired heiress of Team RWBY, Weiss Schnee, was in the middle of dispatching the bull-headed leader of Team CRDL, Cardin Winchester. Using her glyphs to speed around her opponent at a blinding pace, it was clear Cardin's brute force tactics were not working out for him, as he continued to be prodded and speared by Weiss' rapier. As Cardin's aura level declined at a steady pace, cheers could be heard from the stands, as her teammates, Ruby Rose and Yang Xiao Long, hooted and hollered as she pummeled the notorious bully. Her final teammate, Blake Belladonna, watched with interest as well but was more reserved than the two sisters. The members of Team JNPR also cheered on their friend, with Nora Valkyrie trying to be the loudest of all of them, nearly defining her team's lovable, but bumbling, leader, Jaune Arc. With a good-natured smile, Jaune cheered on his crush alongside his more combat experienced partner, Pyrrha Nikos. Finally, much like Blake, resident ninja of Team JNPR and Nora's best friend, Lie Ren, only smiled at the antics of his teammates as the battle concluded with Weiss complete victory over Cardin. Now that the fight was over, Goodwitch approached the two combatants to evaluate their performance and mark areas in need of improvement.

"Excellent job, Ms. Schnee," Glynda said, with an air of scrutiny in her voice. "You were able to recognize your opponents patterned fighting style and use that to your advantage. Commendable work, but don't let this stop you from further improving your form."

"Thank you, Professor Goodwitch," Weiss said with a smile, as she made her way back towards her teammates as Cardin was getting an earful from the professor.

"Great job, Weiss! You really showed him out there." Ruby cheerfully congratulated her partner and leader. While she initially had her doubts about someone so young and naive being made her leader, she soon saw the potential that Professor Ozpin saw in her, not that she ever say that to her face.

"Yeah, way to go out there!" said Yang as she flashed her signature smile, giving Weiss a big thumbs up. The exuberant firecracker of her team was always bursting with positive energy, but she could tell she was also eager to enter the ring and spar with whatever unfortunate soul would be chosen to oppose her.

"Nice job out there, Snow Angel," Jaune said in an attempt to flirt with her. Weiss just rolled her eyes. While the leader of Team JNPR did have some good traits, Weiss believed his time annoyingly flirting with her could rather be spent improving his combat skills. Not to say he hasn't improved since he arrived at Beacon, but he still had a long way to go.

As she sat down, Goodwitch called two other students down to the arena, neither of them being in her immediate friend group. While a dutiful student and huntress, Weiss decided to take this opportunity to quickly look at her scroll to see if she had received any messages or missed any news. As she opened the device, it showed her that she had missed an important news alert, one that was concerned with the Schnee Dust Company. Curious, she tapped on the icon, and the article popped up on the screen. As she began reading, her eyes slowly widened in shock at the news.

"Weiss, is something wrong?" Ruby said with mild concern. Weiss looked up from her scroll, to see that both Blake and Yang had also turned their attention towards her as well. Deep down she appreciated her teammate's worry, but that wasn't the primary concern right now.

"A Schnee dust mine just… collapsed." Weiss brought herself to say.

"WHAT?!" said her shocked teammates, as Weiss quickly shushed them as not to draw Glynda's attention. "What happened? Was anyone hurt?" Ruby said, extremely concerned now.

"No, the mine had actually been evacuated earlier that day," Weiss said. "The Schnee Dust Company released this statement a few hours ago. Apparently, there was some kind of accident involving some type equipment on one of the lower levels. After everyone was evacuated, military personnel were sent in to investigate later that day, but as soon as they arrived, the mine suffered an underground tremor and just caved-in." Taking in the news, the members of Team RWBY began to think it over in their heads. After a moment, Blake finally said what they were all thinking.

"Something doesn't feel right, there's something they aren't telling us," Blake said. While she had her own feelings about the Schnee Dust Company and its treatment toward the faunus people, she knew the companies particular brand of lies when she saw it. This was different because they usually covered their bases fairly well in their press releases.

"You think?" Yang said, "I mean, when was the last time you heard of earthquakes happening in Solitas. You don't because they don't happen that rarely ever happens. Even when they do, they're never this destructive." Weiss had to concede to Yang on that one, she had a good point.

Suddenly, a memory popped into Blake's head as she quickly asked Weiss, "Which mine was it?" Confused, Weiss looked over the article for the name of the mine. After a second she, she looked up from her scroll and said, "Mine 1-04, why?" Blake's eyes widened at this news, confirming her suspicions. "There was a news segment about that mine a week ago, the Atlas army was sending military personnel over there."

"What? What for?" said Ruby, now suspicious as well.

"The official release statement said it was for crowd control since some faunus activist planned to stage a protest outside the mine. Now the mine suddenly collapses for no reason?"

"You think they were sent there with some kind of hidden agenda in mind?" asked Weiss her interest now piqued.

"Probably," as Blake said this, the buzzer sounded, indicating that the match going on had ended. As Goodwitch sent them back to their seats, she called out, "Alright, we have time for one more match today. Will Yang Xiao Long…" At this Yang pumped her fist in the air, with an assertive "Yeah!"

"… and Jaune Arc please enter the ring." Jaune's face paled a bit, but he put on a brave facade as he began to descend the stairs towards the ring. Yang turned toward her teammates and said, "We'll pick this up later." Her serious expression changed to her regular joyful expression as she activated her shotgun gauntlets, Ember Celica, as she readied herself for what was probably going to be a one-sided match. However, all four members of Team RWBY were still wondering, what really happened at that mine.

—

Back in The Hall, Bane and Ebenezer looked out over their new allies, as they began to approach them. The man of the group was Caucasian, about 5'10, adequately built, with cropped black hair and dark brown eyes. His face and body language gave off a weasely vibe as if one should always make sure to have their hand on their wallet when they were even remotely around him. The woman walking next to him had long dark hair, which complemented her brown skin. She stood at 5'11 and had a defined muscle structure, with striking ocean blue eyes. As she walked forward, she gave off the attitude of a warrior, but with the dominance and intelligence only seen in those of royal blood. The last woman, standing around 5'11 also, strode towards Bane and Ebenezer with a small confident smile on her face. She had black, bob cut hair and a thin face, but had clearly defined muscles under her suit. A unique feature her were her dull, grey eyes, that actively analyzed everything around her. While appearing normal, Bane could sense that this was one person that should never be underestimated. As they reached the pedestals, Bane and Ebenezer walked over to meet them halfway.

"Hey Bane, my man," said the man, "thanks for breaking us out of those popsicles. The mindscape is nice an all, but you get pretty bored robbing the same heavily guarded buildings over and over again." he said with cocky mirth. The ocean-eyed woman scoffed at her compatriot, thinking that his accomplishment was actually impressive.

"It's good to hear you spent your time improving your craft, Mickey," Bane responded. He then turned his attention to the two women beside Mickey. He saw that the ocean-eyed woman was sizing him up, while the other simple stared at him with a small smile. "Levia, Augustina, I have also seen your efforts while in the mindscape. They were very impressive."

"I do appreciate the compliment, Bane." Levia said, "but don't address me so formally next time. As far as any of you surface dwellers know, it is Queen Levia."

"Holding onto a title to a kingdom that assuredly does not exist anymore?" coyly questioned Augustina, "Attaching so much meaning to a mere name can be unhealthy behavior, your highness."

Levia turned toward Augustina with pure venom in her eyes, "Laurentia may be gone, but as long as I have royal blood running through my veins, I will continue to carry the legacy my parents left me." As Levia clenched her fists, Augustina stood unfazed by her decree and continued to egg Levia on.

"I may not be able to break through your Atlantean skin, but I've learned that there is more than one way to take down pompous brats such as yourself." Levia then lunged at Augustina, prepared to knock that smug look off of her pretentious face. Before they collided, a barrier of light appeared between them, causing Levia to slam into it. While unharmed, she was still seething with anger.

Augustina turned her attention towards the drone hovering over Bane's right shoulder, having an idea who put up the barrier, "Oh Computo, I was just teasing her." She said mocking innocence.

"As much as I'd like to see you two tear each other apart, you are both required for the task ahead. So please try to tolerate each other's continued existence," Computo replied. The AI then lowered the shield as Levia lifted herself off the ground, deciding she would settle the matter with Augustina at a later date.

"Yes, now that we have gotten the introductions out of the way," said Ebenezer, as he gestured toward the pedestals "we should get down to brass tacks." Soon, everyone made their way to their individual seats, with Bane sitting in the middle to negotiate the meeting. All eyes were soon on him, as the newcomers awaited him to speak.

"Well Bane," began Augustina, "you went to the trouble of waking us up, so I must assume you did this for a reason." Bane knew she knew why he brought them here but could tell she was eager to hear the specific events that led up to this.

"The Hall was breached yesterday by soldiers." Bane simply stated, immediately catching everyone's attention. "Computo awakened me to handle them. The soldiers had advanced technology, which used an unknown power source. I took care of the individual soldiers easily enough, and eventually fought with their commanding officer. This man displayed pyrokinetic abilities and some type of naturally generated force field. After dealing with him, I awakened Ebenezer, and we transported the Hall to a new location, as we were at a strategic disadvantage."

"Ok, that's great and all, big guy," said Mickey as he asked, "but what we here to do?"

Bane turned toward Mickey to give his comrade a proper reply, "To start anew." Mickey became shocked at this statement, his eyes as wide as dinner plates. On the other side of the meeting table, Levia's sour demeanor was replaced with an eager and knowing grin, and Augustina shared the same reaction. Mickey, trying to save some face, said, "Well, obviously." Bane did a little eye roll at Mickey's antics but nevertheless continued. "Each of you has been selected for your particular skills and abilities that will be an asset in establishing The Society's foundations. There is a new world out there to conquer, and it is a sworn duty to prepare it so that we could restore our organization to its past glory."

"Speaking of the world," said Ebenezer, "I believe Computo has been compiling some information he obtained from the satellite. Would you mind sharing what you have discovered thus far?"

"Certainly," said Computo, as he activated the computer pedestal in the middle of the room, which began projecting various news broadcasts and images captured by the satellite."Hacking into their computers was elementary, by my standards anyway." The way he said it, it sounded like it was no big deal. "However, before I divulge this information too you all, I would like our last guest to arrive so we are all on the same page." The three newcomers looked confused and curious at this statement, thinking that another pod was still on its way.

"Shouldn't she have been brought to this room as quickly as the others," asked Bane. At this Computo, let out what sounded like a robotic chuckle. "Actually, she was so excited about meeting you all she decided to run up here." At that moment, the main doors flung open, as our group's heads turned to see who was making their entrance. As soon as they laid eyes on her, bewilderment and absolute confusion became the dominant features on their faces, with the exception of Ebenezer, who wore a mischievous, yet knowing smirk. Standing in the doorway was a bright blue-eyed, blonde-haired, teenage girl, looking like she just came off the set of a 50s sitcom. Her hair was tied up in a ponytail with a bright green bow, which matched the color of the scarf she was wearing around her neck. She wore a black short-sleeved, button-down shirt with green collar and cuffs. The shirt was tucked into a green skirt which ended just above the ankles, with a black radiation symbol on the side of it, and had on black slippers to complete her look. Flashing her pearly whites with a smile, she cheerfully greeted her teammates and waved.

"GOOD MORNING GLORIES!" She then sped over to the meeting area, as everyone continued to gawk at her. She quickly made her way to the unoccupied seat next to Levia, and quickly sat down, to which Levia tried to move away from her. The girl then turned her attention towards Computo, a happy but also apologetic look on her face.

"Sorry I was so late everybody, I hope I didn't miss anything important. Did I, Uncle Computo?" If you listened closely, you could hear Bane snicker under his breath at the nickname, but Computo did not seem to mind.

"No, my dear, nothing I already told you about when you were brought online. In fact, we were just getting to the good part. However, don't you think it would be polite if you were to introduce yourself to your new teammates." The girl put her hand over her mouth in surprise, "I am sorry everybody, it slipped my mind I was so excited to meet you all!" she said in a perky voice that made Levia want to gag. "Hello everybody! You all can call me Sis, I am so happy to meet you all." Still stunned, Bane composed himself to giver their new arrival a proper welcome.

"Thank you, Sis, it is good to have you onboard." Slowly, everyone attention turned their attention back toward Computo, setting aside time for later to process what just happened.

"Now that we are all present," Computo began, "I have discovered some rudimentary information about this world. The planet we knew as Earth is now known by the population as Remnant. Oh, irony, thou art a cruel mistress." Computo said as Micky began to chuckle. "Anyway, Remnant is divided into four separate ruling entities, or Kingdoms, containing Atlas, Vacuo, Vale, and Mistral." As Computo said this, a virtual map was projected in the center of the room, highlighting the locations the AI mentioned. "There is also the small island nation of Menagerie, which is located in the south-eastern hemisphere, and is home exclusively to faunus, a subspecies of human that posses animal traits." Computo then projected some pictures of faunus to serve as an example to everyone in the room. While there were Superheroes and villains who had particular animal traits or related powers, our villains were still interested in this new discovery.

Levia then decided to ask a question, "Where exactly are the borders to these Kingdoms?"

"They are fairly small. There is more unoccupied land then occupied, not from lack of trying. Many groups attempt settlement outside of the Kingdom's borders, but none of them last very long before they are overtaken."

At this, everyone gained a look of confusion on their face. If there was so much land up for grabs, what was stopping the kingdoms from expanding their territory?

"Why is that?" asked Ebenezer.

In response, Computo projected several images, showcasing strange beasts. While they ranged in size and shape, they all shared three common traits. Their skin or fur was solid black, they all had some form of chalk white bone armor, and had blood red eyes. "These are The Creatures of Grimm, a major source of concern at the moment. While there are theories and legends, no one is sure where these creatures came from, but they possess a major threat to this world's population. They are apparently attracted to negative emotions, such as panic, fear, and anger. These settlements only as last as long as they can stave off the Grimm, which is usually not long."

"Then how have the Kingdom's lasted so long?" Bane asked.

"Besides having the security of a wall and a border patrol, they have specially trained individuals to combat the Grimm known as huntsman and huntresses. To better equip these individuals, several academies have been established in all four kingdoms, to prepare them to fight the Grimm and preserve the peace between the four kingdoms. Huntsman and Huntresses also can utilize aura, a manifestation of their souls, for offensive, defensive, and healing purposes. Most also possess individual semblances, which we could liken to a metagene. Explains why that captain almost turned you into barbecue, huh Bane?" Computo teased.

Bane let out a small guttural growl but remained focused on the information that was just given. The presence of the Grimm and Huntsman would make things difficult in establishing a foundation for the Society. 'Then again,' Bane thought, 'when are things ever been easy for people like us.'

"We can bring this back up later," said Augustina, breaking the silence, "I believe we should focus on what criminal or underground enterprises are present, and discuss what the best course of action in becoming involved."

"Excellent thought, Ms. Strange," Computo said as he began searching for and processing new information regarding the criminal element of Remnant. After a minute, Computo spoke once more. "Bandit tribes, several criminal syndicates, assassins, rouge huntsman and other people society considers unsavory can be found throughout the Kingdoms. However, there is a large concentration of them in Mistral. In fact, the Kingdom of Mistral is home to the largest black market on the planet."

"Well shoot, sounds like we'd fit in like peas in a pod there, don't you think guys," Sis said cheerfully.

"Indeed," said Bane, "but before we ally ourselves with these people, we will need to establish our presence on Remnant as a viable force." Everyone agreed with this because no one was going to respect them if they just showed up and asked for it. To gain respect, one had to speak with their actions and prove that they were worth other's time. They could always just charge guns blazing and subjugate them, but that usually led to more backstabbing later down the line. The Society needed to find its way in this world, and these people would be crucial assets to their expansion.

"Wonderful speech Bane, but how do you propose we do that?" asked Levia. Bane was about to reply but stopped when he saw the smug look on Mickey's face. Bane then said, "I think Mr. Barnabas may have a suggestion." To that, everyone turned their attention over to Mickey, whose smirk only widened. Levia was extremely skeptical that the land rat had a good idea, but she decided to humor herself and watch him fail.

"Oh come on, guys, I can't be the only one who sees how simple this ought to be," He said, feigning disbelief. "Well, I may not be able to lift trucks over my head, or shoot lasers out of my butt, but do you know what I am?"

"Incredibly annoying," Levia said, taking a jab at Mickey.

"Funny." Mickey said with an irritated expression, "I'm a thief, and that's the most common kind of criminal there is. We want a way into the in the crowd, we get what any common crook is after. Money." While crude, it was the simplest way to achieve their goals.

A smile soon spread across Banes's face, as well as most of the others, while Levia continued to scowl. "So Mickey, I assume you are suggesting…"

"A good ol' fashioned heist," said Mickey with exuberance. Bane looked around the room and took count of the positive reactions to the thief's suggestion, save for one.

"It appears that we are all in agreement," Bane said cooly, "Now all we need to do is find a target."

"Alright, that's my man!" said Mickey, rubbing his hands in anticipation, " Computo, what big fat cat bank is just asking to be relieved of its riches?"

"I will begin searching," Computo began, "but I think it is about time you all changed into more appropriate attire."

At Computo's statement, everyone with the exception of Sis took notice of their identical black uniforms. To truly mark their resurgence, they would need to take on the identities they were born to uphold.

"My friends," Bane stated, standing up from his seat, "It is time to suit up."

"Your individual costumes are being brought up as we speak, into changing rooms located right across from the meeting hall," Computo said. With this new information, Bane, Levia, Mickey, Ebenezer, and Augustina made their way to the door.

—

After waiting for 30 minutes, they reentered the room. In addition to his mask, Bane now wore a similar, full body black suit that covered his neck. His upper arms were uncovered, while his forearms were covered with a pair of armored gauntlets. The armor was a dull gray, while the gloves underneath them were the same color black as the suit. Around his waist was a grey metal belt with a circular buckle with a red circle in the center. To finish the look, he wore a pair of black combat boots with a grey outsole.

Behind him was Ebenezer, who now wore a white lab coat, with a black turtleneck underneath, grey pants, and brown dockers on his feet. On the right lapel of his coat, there was a symbol of a blue atom, with an "S" adorning the nucleus.

Next was Augustina, whose new costume resembled one of the Society's greatest foes. The black cowl she wore covered most of her face, leaving an opening for her mouth and nose. A large purple "W" was in the middle of the cowl, centered over her nose, going across her cheek, and going up past her ears, forming two horns on the top of her head. She also wore a long black cape that went down to her ankles, with a dark purple interior. Her suit had black body armor around on her chest and arms, with jagged spikes placed on her gloves. In the center of her breastplate, a similar purple "W" was placed in the center. A dull yellow utility belt adorned her waist, holding a multitude of gadgets, weapons, and other law fighting paraphernalia. Her most prominent weapon on her belt was the specially modified handgun she kept holstered on her right hip. Finally, she wore black boots on her feet, with a purple stripe around the top of the boots, and purple soles on the bottom.

Mickey strode in behind Augustina, in possibly the silliest costume out of them all. The bodysuit he wore was brown and grey, with a mask that covered the upper half of his face, but left an opening for his mouth. On the sides of his head, were two technological saucers that resembled mouse ears. There were goggles with red lenses over his eyes, which appeared to house tech with a similar purpose to the ears. Like Augustina, Mickey wore a utility belt, which held items specially designed for his field of profession.

Lastly, Levia entered, now wearing regal combat armor. The helmet she wore was similar to her ancestors, with a black helm and a gold faceplate and gold comb on the top of her head. Going off of the faceplate, the sides were designed to look similar to the fins of a fish. Attached to her golden breastplate, she wore a black collared cape that reached down to her ankles, adding to her royal presence. A stylized symbol of a red manta ray adorned the center of her breastplate, the same symbol used by her ancestors so many centuries ago. Under the breastplate, she wore purple mail resembling fish scales. A gold belt with an Atlantean symbol in the center adorned her waist, while she wore similar gold armbands on her forearms. Below her belt, she wore black pants that covered her feet, similar to a diver's suit, and had fins protruding from the calves. In her right hand, Levia proudly held a golden trident, with an ocean blue gem in the head, which gave off an eerie glow.

"Well golly, don't you all look professional now," said Sis with delight, as she went to greet her new friends.

"Indeed," said Augustina with a smile, which came off as more unsettling than pleasant in her costume, "and I am certainly anxious to field test this new suit. Lord knows, how much time I spent designing it all."

"Well scary sister, you gonna have to wait, "said Mickey with a cocky grin and flexing his muscles, "because it's gonna be my time to shine very soon."

"HA," mocked Levia, "and I thought you were a land rat before. Now, I see you truly live up to the name." Instead of bursting into a rage, Mickey felt it appropriate to return the teasing.

"Oh yeah, fish face, I'd like to see you sneak into anyplace in your rainbow trout outfit." He said thinking he was being clever, but everyone just groaned at his attempt at humor. Even Levia had to admit she brought this on herself. Everyone soon made their way back to their seats and sat down. However, Bane kept standing, preparing to say something to his comrades.

"Now that everyone is back, I would like to commemorate the start of this new era." Bane paused for a moment, for dramatic effect. "When we were children, we watched as our parents battle for the glory of The Society. Despite facing unimaginably powerful foes who opposed their greatness, they persevered against a world that hated and feared them. The Earth they knew is gone, claimed by The Deicide. Now, we will carry on our glorious legacy into Remnant, and conquer what is rightfully ours and bring the Society back to its former glory!" Bane then raised his fist in the air and proclaimed, "No force on this planet will be able to stop us, and we will carve out our future and destroy any who get in our way!" A shout of approval roared throughout the meeting hall, as they all raised their fists triumphantly.

Computo observed from above, looking at the event with great pleasure. This was a comeback millions of years in the making, and despite some doubts, he believed this ragtag group might be able to beat the odds. To further commemorate the occasion, Computo began a new entry in The Hall's data logs "Founders of the 8th age of the Secret Society of Super-Villains: Bane, Dr. Ebenezer Sivana, Wrath, Mouse Man, Ocean Master, and Sis of the Nuclear Family. Oderint dum Metuant- Let them hate as long as they fear!"


	6. Chapter 6

**Chapter 6:**

This had not been a good week for the SDC. Not only had the ancient structure they discovered up and vanished but in doing so caused the collapse of one of their most essential Dust mines in the region. To say Jacques Schnee was livid was an understatement, as the servants who passed by his office could hear him fume in his office. He wasn't even this outraged when Winter or Weiss left to pursue their own paths, but then again this directly affected the company. The loss of the mining complex had cost the company hundreds of employees, and speculations of their mines stability had government officials flying in for emergency inspections to see if they were up to code. Not to mention that Dust exportation had taken a huge dip, costing the company millions of lien in profits. As Jacque sat at his desk, stirring in his own anger, someone knocked at the door. Whoever was trying to acquire the CEO's attention was very brave, very stupid, or just didn't have a choice in the matter, because no one in their right mind would want to be around a royally enraged Jacques Schnee. Realizing this might be important, Jacques took a moment to compose himself, before calling out.

"Enter." While sounding professional, there was still evidence of rage in his voice.

A man in a grey suit and blue tie entered the room, looking incredibly nervous. As the door began closing, the man walked up to the desk to address Mr. Schnee directly. As the man approached him, Jacques could sense that this was not going to be good news, and his brow furrowed into a serious glare.

"What is it?" Schnee said while mentally preparing himself for the news.

"Well sir," the man began, "we've just got some new projections in for this month, taking into account the loss of the mine. With the decreased rate of Dust mining, we won't be able to reach this month's quota even by incorporating major overtime for the mine staff." A cold sweat started to trickle down the man's neck as he saw a vein bulge from Jacques' head.

"Anything else?"

"W-w-well, there have also been some complications with the miners." he nervously forced out.

"What complications," Jacques said through clenched teeth.

"Well, once news of the collapse was spread around, many of our miners are protesting, and have told us that they will continue until the mine's stability was assured." The man's hands were shaking just a bit, as a dark expression came over Jacques' face.

"Leave." At that simple command, the man quickly made his way out of the room, wanting to put some distance between himself and his boss. Jacques began to shake with anger as he raised his fist and then furiously brought it down on the table. Jacques would ensure whatever swine was responsible for these events would pay dearly for the embarrassing the Schnee family this way. Ironwood proved his incompetence when his army lost the structure and the mine, but he was only partially to blame. As Jacque put his head in his hands to try to alleviate the mountain of stress and anger, he said to himself.

"This cannot possibly get any worse."

—

"Quite the affluent country Atlas is, now isn't it?" asked Bane as he looked at the projection in the middle of the room. After a finishing his commemoration, Computo had begun to share his findings on potential targets. Vacuo was not the most financially stable country, but for a den of thieves, robbers, and their universal belief in survival of the fittest, made it a place the would have to come back to at a later date. Vale and Mistral were certainly viable targets, but the majority of wealth in Remnant appeared to belong to the residents of Atlas.

"Truly," stated Computo, "The First National Bank of Atlas houses the wealth and riches of many of the country's ruling elite. Especially the Schnee family, whose monopoly on the dust trading business has made them impossibly wealthy and a notable family among the upper class of this world."

"Oh yeah," said Mouse Man, eagerly rubbing his hands together in anticipation, "Looks like we've found the fattest piggy bank around. Nice one, Computo!" A glint of greed flashed in his eyes, as his comrades looked at him and fully expected him to start drooling any second.

"What are we looking at in terms of security?" asked Wrath. To answer this, Computo brought up a holographic image of the bank to help with his explanation.

"The building itself has five levels, and the main vault is located in the basement. To get there, you'll have to go through a series of guard patrols, security cameras, and motion-sensitive lasers. The vault itself is passcode protected, with the highest amount of cameras and lasers in the entire building. In the center of the vault is the main computer terminal, which stores the credits digitally. How do you propose we go forward, Bane?" asked Computo.

Bane contemplated this for a moment. They obviously couldn't send in everyone into the bank, they would attract too much attention. Plus, stealth was a definite must if one was going to rob a building of this caliber. Thinking up a plan of action, Bane shared his plan with the others.

"We'll split into two, two-man teams. One will break into the bank and secure the money, while the other two will serve as a distraction in another part of the city. The distraction team will cause as much havoc as possible to gain the attention of the local authorities, drawing their attention away from the bank. The robbery team will then enter the picture and make their way to the vault, hopefully, without getting caught. Once they've secured the money, Ebenezer will open a Boom Tube and retrieve us." No one seemed to want to argue with him, so Bane took their silence as a unanimous agreement.

"Mouse Man, Wrath," Bane addressed his comrades, "you two will be the infiltration team, and Ocean Master and I will serve as your distraction." A wicked grin grew on Mickey's face, while Augustina's mouth only slightly curved into an unnoticeable smile. On the other hand, Levia was quite perturbed, being relegated to the role of a distraction was insulting to someone of her status.

"I will not be put in the position of a mere foot soldier. Those who wear the mantle of Ocean Master lead armies, so why should I stoop to their level."

"This is a necessary step for The Society, your highness," Bane sarcastically said."Rest assured you will face a worthy challenge in the future. Consider this a warm-up."

While it still annoyed her, Levia decided to go along with the plan. She smirked a little, as she thought to herself 'At least I will have the chance to drown some land rats while I am out.'

"Like I said before, Ebenezer and Computo will be monitoring your situation from The Hall's mission control room. They will also be helping you in taking down the banks security."

"Indeed," said Ebenezer. He then stood up and walked over the Wrath, and placed a small thumb drive on her desk. "This universal USB drive contains a virus that will allow us access to the bank's computer network. From there, Computo and I should be able to make this trip a little easier for you." The projection of the bank zoomed into a room on the fourth floor of the complex, highlighting the area with a red dot. "While Mouse Man makes his way to the vault, you must make your way to the main security room on the fourth floor. Plug this drive into the main computer and we will have full access to all of their systems." Wrath picked up the drive and placed it in one of the compartments on her utility belt.

"Looks like everything is golden. When do we get this party started, Big Boss?" Mouse Man asked.

"We will leave in an hour, take care of any other business beforehand, and meet back at the Boom Tube deck on the third floor. Meeting adjourned," said Bane. Everyone then stood up from their seats and made their way out of the meeting room. Wrath and Mouse Man began checking their gadgets and discussing their individual missions, along with backup plans should one of them be caught. Levia approached Computo, asking where their quarters were so she could go get settled. Ebenezer made his way to mission control to prep for their upcoming departure. Bane was about to leave as well, but Sis had run up to him, eager to say something.

"What about me, Little Bro?" she asked. Realizing he had left Sis out of the equation for this plan, Bane felt it appropriate to address her now. However, the thing he was shocked at more was how she had addressed him. He knew she was much older than he, but why did she call him her brother? 'Questions for a later date,' Bane thought, 'deal with the current problem.'

"My apologies, Sis, but this mission does not immediately require you at this moment. Your powers may be a bit too destructive, and we only want to distract our enemies from the heist. Not completely decimate them." Bane said, trying to put it delicately. After a moment, Sis' perplexed expression turned into her signature smile, giving Bane a thumbs up.

"Alrighty tighty, but if you need me don't hesitate to call," she said as she skipped off after Ebenezer, wanting to catch up with her friend.

—

As was usual, Atlas was buzzing with activity. Despite the cold temperature, you could see many socialites and citizens occupying the various shops, restaurants, and boutiques that littered the city. In the distance, one could see the prestigious Atlas Academy, where only the best of the best trained to become skilled huntsman and huntresses and one day serve their homeland. While the student's lives were filled with training, both of the body and the mind, there was also time for leisure. Living in one of the most affluent cities on Remnant, it would be a sin if one never took the chance to experience its magnificence.

Such is the case for Team RMBL, a commendable group of up and coming huntsman and huntresses, who were some of the more accomplished teams in their year. While nothing drastic, this team was able to clear many treacherous missions that put them in direct confrontation with some powerful Grimm and sinister criminals. Stopping a group of White Fang terrorists while on another mission was also noteworthy, bringing the team much notoriety among their peers. On this day we find these teammates sitting in a local coffee shop, warming their bodies with the piping hot drink. Rachel Brookes, the leader of the team, leaned back in her chair as she drank her latte. Rachel was around 17 years old, with short brown hair and blue eyes. A black headband was keeping her hair from getting in her face, and a pair of red circle earrings were pierced in her ears. She wore a turquoise t-shirt underneath her fluffy pilots jacket, and worn blue jeans. On her feet, were a pair of big brown combat boots with plenty of stains on them. To her left sat her partner, Magenta Condodina, who was the complete antithesis to her. As a part of one of Atlas' wealthy families, the 18 year old certainly telegraphed this fact with her appearance. She sat upright in her chair, displaying her perfect posture, as she daintily drank her tea from her cup. Her bright magenta colored curly hair stood out as her defining feature, and went to her shoulders. She had dark brown skin, purple eyes, and wore lipstick that matched the color of her hair. To shield her from the cold, she wore a dark magenta designer overcoat over her white blouse. The skirt she wore was a lighter shade of magenta, and black leggings covered her legs. On her feet, she wore a pair of fashionable white boots. Across from her was the team's only male member, Barnaby Prosser, who was enjoying his decaf as he looked out at the bustling streets of the city. He was tall, Caucasian, with black, straight hair, with leaf green eyes. He wore a standard white Atlas Academy uniform, which consisted of a white button-down shirt, adorned with a black tie, all under a grey pocket vest jacket. A white belt was around his midriff, and wore a pair of pressed white pants. He also wore a pair of black shoes on his feet. Next to Barnaby sat his partner, Laurel Holly, a deer faunus who drank the same tea as Magenta. She had long fern green hair, big brown eyes, freckled skin, with two antlers protruding from the top of her head. She wore a taupe jacket with light green highlights, along with a pair of black pants, and brown snow boots.

"Well thank gods it's Saturday, right guys?" said Rachel, as she downed her latte. Magenta looked at her partner with amusement. While she didn't hold her to the same standards of manners as she was usually around, she at least asked for proper etiquette in social spaces.

"Yes it is, Rachel, but if you would be so kind as to not chug your drink like that." Now, Rachel loved her teammates, but Magenta could be a royal party pooper sometimes.

"Eehhh, they don't mind a bit, Mags," she said as she continued to chug. Magenta just gave a silent eye roll and went back to her drink.

"With all this free time today, we should take some time to study for the exam for Military Strategy," suggested Barnaby, being the most militant of the group.

"That test is still three weeks away, Barnaby, why do you want to get on it so early?" asked Rachel, annoyed at the thought of spending their day off studying for a test. Laurel replied, "Well if we study now, we'll all be better off when the tests come around, and you know Professor Arthur likes to give us pop quizzes."

Grumbling a bit, Rachel folded her arms, a bit annoyed. "Fine, I guess we can set aside some time to study for the stupid test." Magenta, on the other hand, was grateful for Barnaby's suggestion. Convincing her partner to study on her own was a nightmare, and was all the more thankful when her teammates suggested they study together.

Once they finished their drinks, they made their way out of the shop and onto the snow blanketed streets. They bundled up in their jackets as a wind septa through the street, thankful for their extra layers.

"Alright, the day's still young, what do guys want to do next?" Rachel asked with a bright smile. Magenta was about to speak up when an explosion sounded in the distance. Turning in the direction of the sound, Team RMBL saw smoke rising from a couple blocks away. As the huntsman was recovering from the shock, two police cars sped by on their way to the scene of the crime.

"What should we do?" asked Laurel, looking at Rachel. Rachel turned around to face her team and saw the same determined expression on their faces. She grinned.

"We go help. That's our job." Rachel said as she pulled out her scroll and punched in the code to retrieve her weapon. Her teammates did the same thing, and soon four lockers landed close to the coffee shop. The lockers opened, revealing their weapons. As soon as they retrieved their weapons, they ran down the street towards the commotion.

"Alright Team RMBL, it's time to work for a living!"

—

Several minutes before, Bane and the rest of the SSSV stood in the Boom Tube Deck, surrounded by circular gates. As they waited in the center of the room, one of the screens on the wall brightened, as the image of Ebenezer became clearer.

"Right, now that everyone is here, we may proceed." The image of Ebenezer was pushed to the side of the screen, as a satellite image appeared next to him. "Bane, Ocean Master, you two will be dropped into the middle of Atlas' business district. Plenty of civilians in the area, so be careful not to cause too much unnecessary death. That will be saved for the police or possibly the army. I will be monitoring your situation, and when you've gathered sufficient amount of attention from the authorities, I will then send Wrath and Mouse Man into the field. Understood?" Ebenezer asked.

"Crystal," said Bane, as he cracked his knuckles. Ocean Master stood next to him, giving her trident a few practice swings as a warm-up.

"Opening Boom Tube now," Ebenezer said. Suddenly, one of the gates began to expand and burst with light and sound. With the gate opened, Bane and Ocean Master approached the gate and stepped through the portal.

Exiting out the other side, the criminal duo were greeted by a cold wind, not that either truly cared about it. They were on a rooftop, and to get a better lay the land they walked to the edge of the building. From there, they saw the streets bustling with activity. Bane then reached up to the earpiece in his right ear and pressed down.

"This is Bane, checking in. Ebenezer, do you read me?" Bane asked.

"Loud and clear, Bane. The comm link is working perfectly. You two better get started, I think Mickey might pee himself with excitement if we wait any longer."

"Hey!" sounded off Mouse Man, irritated at the indignation.

Bane then turned to his partner, who was now standing on the edge of the building. "How do you want to do this?" he asked.

Before he could get an answer, Ocean Master jumped off the building. The pavement cracked and splintered as she landed, which scared the passing pedestrians. As she got up, she saw a truck approaching her, as it loudly honked at her to get out of the way. Unfazed, she thrust her trident into the hood of the vehicle, as it crashed and crumpled against her Atlantean strength. She looked up to the driver, who just stared at her, terrified.

"If you value your life, rat, you will run." The driver obviously didn't need that much convincing, as he jumped out of the wrecked truck and took off down the street. Civilians just stood there stunned, and Levia just groaned, knowing she needed to knock the sheep out of their stupor. Feeling the ancient magic course through her, the golden trident began to spark with electrical energy. She then thrust her trident forward, releasing a deadly thunderbolt through the vehicle, causing it to explode. Now the crowd of people was in a panic, frantically trying to get away from each other, pushing and shoving everyone out of the way to get away from the burning wreckage. Bane just looked down from the building in slight shock, as Ocean Master looked back up to him and called out, "Will this do?" Bane sensed a hint of sarcasm in that question but just chose to go and join his comrade down below.

As Bane touched the ground, he could hear the sound of sirens in the distance, indicating the police were soon to arrive. As he thought this, two cruisers turned the corner down the street and raced towards them. Screeching to a halt a few meters from them, the officers exited their vehicles, drawing their guns and aiming directly at them.

"Get down on the ground, NOW, or we will open fire!" shouted one of the officers. Bane and Ocean Master gave each other a knowing look, as Levia gestured to Bane, as a way of saying 'they're all yours'. Bane then concentrated, releasing a small amount of Venom into his body, increasing his strength and durability. He then charged toward the officers, as they began to fire upon him. The bullets bounced off of him as he jumped into the air and landed on one of the cruisers, demolishing the front of the car. Stepping out of the wreckage, Bane backhanded the cop closest to him with his left hand, sending him flying into a wall. Bane turned his attention to the officer's partner, who was still unloading shell after shell on him with no effect. Bane charged forward, raising his fists like a boxer, as he unleashed two blows to his torso before socking him in the face with a devastating right hook. Bloody fragments of teeth were launched out of the poor officer's mouth, as he felt his jaw splinter. Before Bane could turn around, the other two officers jumped on him, one trying to get him in a choke hold and the other trying to force him to the ground. Bane reached up with his hands, grabbed the two by their backs, and slammed them together like cymbals. Now unconscious, Bane dropped them into the snow at his feet. He then heard the sound of a radio going off from the remaining cruiser, and walked over to it. Bane reached inside as he heard the voice on the other end of the line say. "Officer Baker, this is dispatch. What's going on, what happened to the target?" Bane then picked up the radio and said in a threatening voice,

"This is the target. Your men need back up." he then crushed the radio in his hand. As Bane walked back toward Ocean Master, he heard the sound of rapid footsteps approaching them. Turning around, Bane saw a group of four teenagers emerging from the corner at end of the street. Seeing the battered police officers, the girl with the green hair and antlers ran towards them to see if they were alright, with her teammates following close behind her. She reached down, held one of the officer's arms, and checked for a pulse.

"Laurel, how is he?" asked Rachel. Laurel looked up at her companion and said, "He has a pulse, but he's in pretty bad shape right now." Relieved for the moment, the team now turned their attention to the two criminals. While their choice of attire was bizarre, they could tell that these two shouldn't be underestimated. As they were sizing them up, they could hear the sound of sirens coming in the distance, so they would have back up soon enough.

"Why are you doing this?" Magenta asked in a serious tone, as she pointed her spear at the two.

"Yeah, I mean, what you're doing is pretty stupid. You just caused like a million lien in property damage, in the middle of the city with the world's strongest military. Not to mention this place is crawling with huntsmen, like us, so I'm curious how much of a brain is shared between you two clowns." Rachel said, taking a cocky jab at her opponents. She was aiming two large handguns at them, ready to fill these guys full of holes. Barnaby reached into his quiver and retrieved an ice dust arrow and notched it on the string of his bow. Laurel got into a battle stance as she gripped her short sword.

"I have faced your soldiers in battle before. They were not as impressive as you have been lead to believe," Bane coldly said.

Levia then stepped forward, and called out in a mocking tone, "If you children were wise enough, you would leave this fight to the adults. However, if you wish to throw away your lives, then we will entertain ourselves all the same."

Being condescended to was one experience that the whole of Team RMBL hated with a passion. "Lady," Rachel said, her trigger finger feeling itchier than before, "my friends and I didn't become huntsman to sit on the sidelines. We are here to show you that no-one attacks Atlas and gets away with it." The tense atmosphere grew, as the opposing teams stared each other down, waiting for the other to make the first move. Bane raised his fists and Ocean Master readied her trident, as it began to glow in anticipation. At that moment, a smirk spread across Rachel's face, as she began to speak.

"Team RMBL…" Rachel then rapidly pulled the triggers on her guns, sending a barrage of dust round towards Bane and Ocean Master, "…TAKE EM' DOWN!" Magenta and Laurel rushed forward, while Rachel and Barnaby provided covering fire. Seeing their opponents make the first move, Bane and Ocean Master charged forward to meet them. Above the battle, a small silver drone watched the battle unfold below it.

—

Back in The Hall, Ebenezer observed as Bane and Ocean Master engaged some colorfully dressed teenagers, who appeared to be well-equipped. He would have to look into this world's weaponry at a later date, but duty calls. Ebenezer then began listening to the police scanner and was happy to hear that a majority of law enforcement in the area was being diverted to the distraction teams location. Seeing his window of opportunity, Ebenezer brought up the feed to the Boom Tube deck once more, where he could see Wrath waiting patiently and Mouse Man was busy watching the feed of the fight.

"Wrath, Mouse Man," Ebenezer called out. The two of them turned their attention toward the screen he appeared on.

"Hey, Doc, who are these Teen Titan wannabes?" Mouse Man asked with a laugh.

"Local huntsmen, apparently," Ebenezer said, a little annoyed. The presence of the Huntsman was not unexpected, but he would have preferred it if they didn't get involved. Nonetheless, Ebenezer continued. "However, that is not your concern right now. Bane and Ocean Master have captured the attention of the local police, and they are sending a multitude of officers en masse to their location. I am starting up the Boom Tube now. You two will be dropped off in an alleyway next to the bank. Once you exit the alley, you should be facing the back of the building. The closest entrance is a service door just a few feet from your drop point. Remember your missions, you two, and try not to kill everyone." After punching in the coordinates, Ebenezer activated the Boom Tube gate again and the portal burst with light once more. As Mouse Man stretched his arms, he looked over his shoulder at Wrath.

"Ready, Creepy Crawly?" he said with a smirk. She looked at him and smirked and said,

"Don't fall behind." Wrath then ran through the portal. Mouse Man gave chase as he said, shaking his fist in the air.

"Hey, that's my line!" The portal then closed behind them. Observing his comrades antics, Ebenezer rubbed the bridge of his nose. He then turned his attention back to the fight between Bane, Ocean Master, the Huntsman team, and the police who had just arrived. Sis then entered the room, bright and cheerful as always, but gained a look of concern after looking up at the ongoing fight.

"Do you think they'll be alright, Ebenezer?" Sis asked.

"Well," Ebenezer said, seeing the odds his compatriots were up against, "it should be interesting."

—

On the other side of the city, the citizens of Atlas stared in horror at the rising column of smoke and fire from the outside, while others saw the destruction going on live from their scrolls. The police had sent most of their personnel over to the scene, and the Atlas military was sending in their own men as well. However, in a cold barren alley, right next to the First National Bank, a portal broke the silence, as Wrath and Mouse Man exited it. As the portal closed behind them, the two thieves began walking out of the alley to locate the service entrance Ebenezer told them about. Sure enough, once they got to the edge of it, they saw the entrance. However, instead of making their way towards the entrance,

"Cameras," Mouse Man observed, " two above the door and four around the perimeter. Plus the two guards at the entrance." Instead of showing concern, Mouse Man just let out a small sigh. "Here I thought it was going to be a challenge. Oh well." As he said this, Wrath pulled her gun from the holster on her utility belt.

"Wrath," Mouse Man whispered, "I'll take care of those cameras, I got something that can shut them down for a couple minutes. When they all go down, you can take out the guards. What do you think?" he said as he looked over his shoulder, only to see that she wasn't next to him anymore. He looked toward the entrance as his eyes widened. The cameras were all shut down, and Wrath stood over the bodies of the guards with her smoking gun. Two blotches of blood now stained the wall behind where the guards stood a moment ago. She looked at his location and motioned for him to get a move on. Still stunned, Mouse Man quickly made his way over to his partner to help her hide the bodies. After shoving the two of them into a nearby crate, they entered the building. As they walked down the dimly lit hallway, Mickey then turned to her and asked, "How?"

"While you were wasting our time, I took the opportunity to take out the cameras. I fired a small bug onto one of the cameras, which sent a shutdown command to the others. After that, it was a simple matter of eliminating the guards. Thankfully, I was able to test out the silencer on my gun, and I have to say this has been an excellent field test so far. Don't you think?" That last part she said with a bit of levity. Mouse Man just looked at her, thinking she was crazy or something. Deciding not to focus on this problem right now, Mickey pulled a tablet out of his belt and booted it up, displaying a holographic schematic of the bank. Zooming in, he was able to pinpoint their current location.

"Alright, there should be an elevator on the next left. I'll take it down to the basement," said Mickey.

"Very well," Wrath replied. "Once the car has gone down, I will make my way up the elevator shaft to the fourth floor." Nodding his head, Mouse Man quickly made his way toward the elevator, with Wrath right behind him. After turning the corner, they saw the elevator but noticed a key card scanner above the button pad.

"Great, now what?" Mickey complained. Just then the elevator dinged, as they saw a car was making its way down to their level. Wrath doubled back behind the corner, while Mickey stood his ground.

"Now, it's my time to shine." He said as began concentrating. Just like flexing a muscle, Mickey quickly shrunk to the size of his namesake. Running up to the wall, he jumped on and stuck with his adhesive palms and soles, and scurried his way up. The elevator doors opened and two guards in blue and white uniforms stepped out.

"Can you believe what's going on downtown?" asked one of the guards to the other. As he said this, Mouse Man had positioned himself at about the guards head level.

"I know, you think it might be the White Fang?" asked the other. Before the first guard could get a word out, Mouse Man launched himself off the wall and grew back to his original size as he delivered a right hook to the guards head. The punch launched the guard into his friend, causing both of them to crash into the wall.

"No, I can assure you two pigs it's not them." Mouse Man mockingly informed the two.

While one of the guards was rendered unconscious, Mouse Man saw that the other was recovering from his collision with the wall. The still conscious guard quickly pulled out his handgun and said "What the heck?! Don't mov-"

 **BANG**

Before he could finish his sentence, the noise of a suppressed round filled the room, as a bullet went through the guard's head. Mouse Man looked down the hallway and saw Wrath aiming her pistol at where the guard's head had been. While I bit peeved that he couldn't take care of this situation all by himself, he knew what Wrath had done had been helpful. While she was holstering her firearm, he walked over to the unconscious guard and searched him. Quickly, he found the guard's ID card in his right shirt pocket and took the time to restrain him as well. He took some tape from his belt and placed it over the guard's mouth, and then tied his hands behind his back and his feet together with disposable restraints. Mickey then turned to his partner as she walked over to him.

"I coulda handled that, but thanks for the assist," Mickey said.

"Let's get back on task," She said sternly. "They're most likely going to start looking for these two and the guards at the door if they don't check in soon. We need to stop wasting time." A little miffed at her response, Mickey decided not to worry about it at the moment and focus on the mission. Giving a stiff nod, he walked over to the panel and pressed the guard's ID badge up against the scanner. The doors soon opened, but before they entered, Wrath took out a throwing star shaped like a "W" and destroyed the camera in the corner. After that, the duo walked in and Mouse Man pressed the button for the basement. As the doors began to close, Wrath opened the emergency hatch to get on the roof of the car. Now on the roof, she took out a grapple gun and fired, as the hook rocketed toward the top of the shaft. Just as the elevator began to descend, the grapple securely latched to the ceiling, as the mechanisms in the gun began to reel in the line, propelling Wrath upwards. As the elevator reached the bottom floor, Mouse Man shrunk down as the doors opened. The guards next to the elevator looked in confusion, as no one came out. While the guard was distracted, Mouse Man quickly ran out of the elevator and into the lobby. Making his way over to the hallway, he then jumped onto the wall and began scaling it. Looking down the corridor from his perch, he checked the holographic map again to check his location.

"Alright," Mickey said confirming his location, "let's get the party underway."


End file.
